New Zealand PM’s Plane Breaks Down in Papua New Guinea, Forced to Take Commercial Flight to Japan

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was compelled to take a commercial flight to Japan when his air force plane broke down while refuelling in Papua New Guinea on Sunday.

Christopher Luxon took a scheduled flight from Port Moresby to Tokyo via Hong Kong because as the New Zealand Defence Force Boeing 757 aircraft he was flying on developed a major technical snag.

A problem with a command module for a small flap on the wing meant the aircraft could not fly as high or as fast as normal, affecting its range, a New Zealand defence spokesperson said.

The fault was detected while the plane was on the ground in Papua New Guinea.

The delegation of business leaders and journalists accompanying Luxon had to wait until Monday to fly on the air force 757 to Brisbane and then catch a commercial flight to Tokyo.

Luxon is on a four-day visit to Japan. He will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his visit.