New Zealand has been hit by a severe shortage of jet fuel, with thousands of domestic and international passengers stranded after a digger struck the sole supply pipe in Auckland, the country"™s biggest city.
Flights have been affected, with airlines told to fill plane tanks to capacity at other airports before flying to Auckland, and long-haul international flights told to plan for re-fuelling stops in Australia and the Pacific Islands, according to Air New Zealand. The airline predicted about 2,000 passengers a day would be affected.
Jet fuel is being rationed in Auckland after the farm digger struck the sole supply pipe on Thursday, reducing jet fuel supplies to 30% of normal capacity. Petrol and diesel supplies have also been affected by the damaged pipe, with both fuels being driven overland to Auckland from other supply points in the north island.
The country"™s defence force and government agencies were activated to help speed up the transport of essential fuel to Auckland, the government said…
