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Defence Secretary Judith Collins said it was unlikely the Defence Force plane the prime minister was travelling on would be repaired and flown to Japan in time to bring the prime minister and his trade delegation home.
Christopher Luxon Most of the delegation had to stay behind The plane broke down in Papua New Guinea.
Collins told Morning Report The spare Defence Force aircraft is in long-term maintenance and will not resume until the end of next month.
Replacing the fleet will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which must be weighed against the current economic environment.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
photo: Nathan MacKinnon
Luxon had originally planned to stop in Port Moresby for 90 minutes on Sunday while the Boeing 757 aircraft was refuelled.
After an hour’s delay, a Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that two fuses on the plane had blown. Forcing the Prime Minister to take a commercial flight.
The trade delegation remained in Papua New Guinea on Sunday night and flew to Brisbane on Monday, from where it would fly to Tokyo on an Air New Zealand flight.
Collins said spoilers had to be removed from the plane’s wings, meaning the aircraft could not fly high enough for long-distance flights.
“We shouldn’t expect it to reach Japan to bring back the prime minister and his delegation – unless by some miracle it is suddenly fixed.”
She said the defence force had done everything it could.
“The defence force does an excellent job of protecting aircraft that otherwise … would have been retired very quickly in the good times.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins said the spare Defence Force aircraft were being placed on long-term maintenance.
photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
“It would be better if we had a spare plane – there are always problems with planes on any airline.
“These are very old aircraft, more than 23 years old. These aircraft are not normally used for commercial purposes at this time.”
The Defence Force Capability Review, which will look at the aircraft issue, has been brought forward from September to June.
“Purchasing a new aircraft must take into account the current economic climate and the reality that many families are facing challenges,” she said.
“That’s a lot of money.”
Collins did not disclose the exact cost but said it would cost “hundreds of millions of dollars,” although leasing or chartering would also be an option.
Earlier this year, Luxon Forced to take a commercial flight A Defence Force aircraft flying to Melbourne suffered a breakdown before leaving the Wellington tarmac.
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