Beechcraft planes cleared

Air New Zealand says checks on their Beechcraft 1900 aircraft have cleared their planes of any safety problems after reports that their American counterparts were grounded with structural weakness in the wings.

The safety move followed the release of an air safety directive from the US Federal Aviation Administration after it received three reports of cracks in the wings of Beechcraft 1900 aircraft.

Air New Zealand spokesman David Jamieson said all its Beechcraft planes were inspected on Friday by their company Eagle Air and all passed safety checks.

"The Beeches that Eagle Air fly are in the majority four years old. There's one that is five years old. They are regarded as structurally a very sound aircraft," said Mr Jamieson.

Australia's air safety regulator also grounded their six Beechcraft 1900 aircraft so inspections could be carried out on the wings.

- NZPA