An Air New Zealand plane on its way to Shanghai was forced to return to Auckland after several hours in the air Saturday because paperwork for the flight included a reference to Taiwan, Stuff reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The problem related to documentation from New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority which was included as part of Air New Zealand's application to allow the aircraft to land in China, the report said. Officials in Beijing had warned the airline to remove any references which suggested Taiwan was a state, however the issue was not resolved, according to the report.
In an emailed statement the Auckland-based carrier said a Boeing Co. 787-9 Dreamliner that entered its fleet late last year and was not yet certified to fly to China was "unfortunately assigned" for the Shanghai flight. As the original application had lapsed, a fresh one was submitted, it added.