New Zealand’s unreliable Boeing jets keep breaking down, forcing PM to fly commercially to Asean summit
- New Zealand’s defence force uses two Boeing 757-200s received in 2003 to carry the country’s leaders. But the ageing aircraft have become unreliable
- PM Christopher Luxon had to switch to an early morning scheduled flight to Australia on Wednesday after a fault was found in his military aircraft
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.
