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When an aircraft has to land unexpectedly, it usually indicates that there was a medical emergency of some sort. Yesterday, however, an unscheduled stop was made by an Air New Zealand aircraft carrying the prime leader of the country, who was being picked up when his government aircraft broke down.
Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon was traveling to Tokyo with a number of well-known business executives in order to meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan. They were flying in a Royal New Zealand Defense Force aircraft that made a refueling stop in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
At that point, the aircraft, a Boeing757, which is older than thirty years, experienced a fuse problem and was unable to continue its journey. The plane’s malfunction was confirmed to Reuters by Luxon’s office.
Fortunately, Greg Foran, the CEO of Air New Zealand (ANZ), was among the delegation of approximately fifty industry leaders. The airline confirmed to CNN that he then made arrangements for an ANZ commercial flight bound for Tokyo, which was flying from Auckland, to stop in Port Moresby and pick up some of the stranded passengers, including Luxon.
It just so happens that prior to entering politics, Luxon, who was elected in 2023, led Air New Zealand for seven years.
In an interview with Kiwi radio station Newstalk ZB, Judith Collins, the minister of defense for New Zealand, described the situation as “embarrassing.”
Collins stated, “We are expecting our very old aircraft to perform like brand new right out of the box, and that’s just not going to happen.” “No prime minister wants to spend a ridiculous amount of money on something that some people think is nice to have.”
A plane malfunction has already left a leader from New Zealand stranded. When the jet that was meant to return her home experienced a mechanical problem in 2022, the country’s then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern was forced to spend more time at the Scott Base in Antarctica. In the end, she managed to board a military aircraft from Italy with her group.