In 1979 the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 led to a global grounding of all DC-10s , stranding hundreds of passengers on both sides of Air New Zealand 's Los Angeles – Auckland route . The airline chartered a Pan Am Boeing 747 to transport stranded passengers and to keep a shuttle service open . The airline 's two remaining DC-8s maintained a trans-tasman shuttle service along with its single international standard equipped 737-200 , ZK-NAR . The decision not to take up NAC 's purchase rights of the trans-tasman capable Boeing 727-200 had come back to haunt the airline . With no DC-8 replacement in sight Air New Zealand began looking for a mid-sized wide bodied jet and ordered the Boeing 767-200ER in 1983
American Airlines Flight 191
American Airlines Flight 191
History of Air New Zealand