Air New Zealand Pilots Allegedly Fight During San Francisco Layover, Forcing 787 Flight Cancellation

Air New Zealand canceled its Boeing 787-9 service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Auckland Airport (AKL) after an alleged altercation between two pilots during a layover left the airline without a crew member available to operate the flight. The September 7 disruption reportedly delayed passengers by more than half a day, with the airline initially citing a pilot’s illness as the reason for the cancellation. Air New Zealand later confirmed to the media it was investigating an off-duty matter involving two crew members in the United States, although it has not publicly confirmed that the pilots physically fought.