An Air New Zealand flight was forced to U-turn last night after a mechanical fault was discovered.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was heading to Vancouver but turned around only 90 minutes into the 13-hour flight.

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan said the plane was turned around due to a mechanical fault.

“Flight NZ24 from Auckland to Vancouver was required to turn back to Auckland approximately 90 minutes into the flight to address an issue with one of the aircraft’s flight spoilers, which was identified en route. "

Spoilers are small, hinged plates on the top portion of wings.

“The aircraft returned to Auckland and our maintenance teams inspected and rectified the issue allowing the aircraft to re-depart.”

Morgan said the safety of customers and crew is the biggest priority and pilots are highly trained for these scenarios.

“The aircraft was prepared for take-off not long after and safely departed for Vancouver and is due to land later this afternoon.

“We thank customers for their patience while we worked to get them to where they needed to be.”