New Zealand’s unreliable Boeing jets keep breaking down, forcing PM to fly commercially to Asean summit

His flight was scheduled to take off from the national capital Wellington on Tuesday morning but a preflight maintenance check on the aircraft found a major electrical fault, New Zealand media reported.

His group had to transfer to a flight on Air New Zealand, the airline he led for seven years as chief executive before switching to politics.

During preflight checks, the crew of the military plane became aware of a technical fault with the nose landing gear system, a defence force spokesman said. “The aim is to remedy the fault as soon as possible.”

The Royal New Zealand Air Force has been asked to look at backup options for when the prime minister returns on Wednesday, the spokesman added.

The second of the two defence force Boeing 757 planes is unavailable in Christchurch for scheduled maintenance work.

New Zealand’s military uses two Boeing 757-200s received in 2003 to carry the country’s leaders. The aircraft have become unreliable in recent years, with maintenance issues stranding its leaders abroad or delaying official trips on several occasions.

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019 was forced to fly home from Australia on a commercial flight. A military plane carrying her broke down in Washington in 2022, while she also had to spend an extra night in New Zealand’s research station in Antarctica due to the aircraft’s mechanical issues.

Melbourne is hosting leaders and officials from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Countries from Monday to Wednesday. New Zealand is not a member and Luxon is travelling at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse