June 17, 2024
Plane glitch throws Japan trade mission into turmoil
![Watermark](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-4.png)
![](https://waateanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/mntBLOCKSTORAGEhomemasternews_importersrcRoyal-NZ-Airforce-Boeying-757-NZDF.jpg_1_Pub.jpg)
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand’s ageing Defence Force planes need more time in the air.
The Boeing 757 which was supposed to take Prime Minister Chris Luxon and a trade delegation has limped back to Brisbane from Papua New Guinea after fuses failed, stranding it on the tarmact at Port Moresby.
The PM took a commercial flight to Tokyo, leaving the rest of the mission to catch up.
There have been a series of recent breakdowns, although Mr Peters was able to use Defence Force planes on his Pacific tours.
He says the breakdowns aren’t a good look.
“This is a plane that’s not being used enough. That’s the expert advice I’ve got from people who know about aeroplanes and sadly that’s just the case where we haven’t taken the right steps over the years to ensure those planes are always on time and don’t break down the way they have of late,” Mr Peters says.
He says he’s done his bit, making more overseas trips in 6 months than former Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta did in 3 years.