PM catches commercial flight to Japan after Defence Force plane breaks down

The prime minister has caught a commercial flight after the Defence Force plane taking him to Japan blew two fuses in Papua New Guinea.

Christopher Luxon was en route to Tokyo with a business delegation. More than 30 companies are represented on the trip, including Air New Zealand, ANZ, Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Zespri and Rocket Lab.

Luxon was only supposed to be in Port Moresby for 90 minutes on Sunday while the Boeing 757 was refuelled.

After an hour’s delay, a Defence Force spokesperson confirmed the aircraft had blown not one, but two, fuses.

Luxon caught a commercial flight out of Papua New Guinea and would now fly to Tokyo via Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Todd McClay told RNZ the government would pay out for commercial flights – and a one-night layover in Brisbane – to get the 10-person media and business delegation to Japan.

The business and media representatives travelling with Luxon had been given chips and beer while they waited in a terminal lounge in Port Moresby.

The cost of the commercial flights was unknown, McClay said.

Earlier this year, Luxon was also forced to fly commercial to Melbourne, when the plane broke down before leaving the tarmac in Wellington.

He was due to meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, on the sidelines of a special Australia-ASEAN summit, and missed two meetings because of his late arrival.

Defence Minister Judith Collins said at the time it was “embarassing” that the plane had broken down, but upgrading the Defence Force’s ageing fleet would cost tens to hundreds of millions.

“A moment’s embarrassment is really difficult but nothing like the fact that a lot of people are in a cost of living crisis … we just need to get to be a richer country.”

Collins had brought forward the Defence Force capability review from September to June and would be waiting for the outcome of that before making any decisions on the fleet, she said.