Air NZ confirmed the flight stopped in Christchurch to refuel due to a supply issue in Invercargill.

An Air New Zealand passenger says she was fearful her plane would run out of fuel when passengers were told there was insufficient fuel to reach its destination.

Invercargill resident Anne-Maree Thomas said she was boarding the 10.50am flight from Invercargill to Christchurch on Wednesday when passengers were told the plane would have to stop in Dunedin to refuel.

They were told the plane was not refuelled in Invercargill before take off because of a misunderstanding, she said.

A previous air disaster due to a fuel shortage sprang to Thomas' mind and she feared for her safety.

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However, the plane landed in Dunedin, refuelled and carried on to Christchurch without mishap.

Air New Zealand spokeswoman Janna Wilkinson said the flight from Invercargill to Christchurch stopped briefly in Dunedin to refuel as the supplier on the ground in Invercargill was unable to fuel the aircraft.

Thomas said she asked a flight attendant how low in fuel the plane actually was.

The flight attendant reassured Thomas they would get to their destination safely, but she felt anything but reassured, she said.

Thomas could not help but think about a 1998 Southern Air Cessna flight from Stewart Island that ditched into the icy waters of Foveaux Strait after it ran out of fuel.

"I don't trust anybody, especially with what happened [to the Stewart Island flight] a few years ago," she said.

Thomas was also concerned that the engines were not running when the passengers boarded the plane and she wondered if it would be warm enough to take flight.

The flight, which would normally take about one hour and 15 minutes, took more than two hours to reach its final destination.

Despite the scare, Thomas was not deterred from flying out of Invercargill because there were not a lot of other options, she said.

"Invercargill deserves a better service than that."

Wilkinson, from Air New Zealand, did not immediately respond to further questions, sent after Thomas voiced her concerns to Fairfax.

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