Wellington [New Zealand], March 5: Reuters reported on March 5 that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was forced to fly commercially to attend the ASEAN summit in Australia, after his military plane encountered technical problems.
Local media reported the delay could affect his meetings. Luxon's flight was scheduled to take off from the capital Wellington on the morning of March 4, but a pre-flight maintenance check discovered that the plane had a major electrical problem.
A spokesman for Mr. Luxon's office confirmed that the prime minister was on a commercial flight to Melbourne (Australia), but did not provide details.
The New Zealand Defense Force uses two Boeing 757-200s received in 2003 to transport the country's leaders. The planes have become unreliable in recent years, with maintenance problems leaving leaders stranded abroad or delaying trips.
New Zealand media reported that Prime Minister Luxon may miss the meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit . Mr. Luxon attended the conference at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was forced to fly home from Australia on a commercial flight in 2019. In addition, a military plane carrying her broke down in Washington DC (USA) in 2022. On another occasion, she had to stay an extra night at a New Zealand research station in Antarctica due to technical problems. of the plane.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
