Air New Zealand's assuring it's on track for economic stability.

The national airline's announced a first-half before-tax loss of $59 million.

CEO Nikhil Ravishankar says the result's driven by challenges from aircraft being grounded, a softer recovery than expected - and rising costs. 

But he says they'll be well on the road to recovery over the next two to three years. 

"One of the key reasons I say that so confidently is for the first time in six years, we've got new aircraft coming back into the fleet and we're solving engine issues." 

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