KEY POINTS:
Air New Zealand is reassuring passengers its planes are safe following an international aviation alert.
It emerged yesterday that a warning was issued about the brackets holding oxygen cylinders on Boeing 747s months before a mid-air explosion on a Qantas flight punched a hole in a 747 jumbo last Friday.
The plane - en route from London to Melbourne via Singapore - was forced to divert to Manila.
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has ordered Qantas to make urgent inspections of every oxygen bottle on its 30-strong fleet of 747s after the Transport Safety Bureau found one missing from the plane.
New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority says it will wait to see what emerges from the Australian checks before deciding whether any action is required on this side of the Tasman.
Tracy Mills, a spokeswoman for Air New Zealand, which uses the same brackets and oxygen cylinders, said neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor the CAA had yet requested the airline inspect the brackets.
"Air New Zealand has complied with all FAA service bulletins in regard to the bracket holding oxygen cylinders in the 747 fleet.
"These brackets are regularly inspected and we will implement any special checks if requested," Tracy Mills said.
"Safety is paramount and non-negotiable for Air New Zealand and we remain in close contact with relevant authorities."
In April, acting on a warning from the United States, the Australian safety authority ordered Qantas to check the cylinders and brackets because of concerns that tanks could come loose and fall.
