Air-con caused Air NZ plane to divert

A faulty air-conditioning unit was behind a burning rubber smell that prompted the diversion of an Air New Zealand flight to Wellington yesterday.

Flight NZ535, carrying 95 people from Auckland to Christchurch, ran into trouble "about 10 minutes" after takeoff, a passenger said last night.

Jetstream coming over the engine on the aircraft's right-hand side turned from white to grey, then black, he said.

The smell of burning rubber filled the cabin, causing panic among the passengers. Some started praying.

Air NZ spokesman Mark Street told NZPA the smell was caused by a seal on an air-conditioning unit failing.

Passengers were not in danger, and there was no chance a fire could have started, he said.

The smell filled the cabin because it was in the air-conditioning unit.

The fault would be fixed and the plane back in service this morning.

Engineers believed the fault was a one-off and the would not be checking the rest of the fleet, Mr Street said.

- NZPA