Betty breakdown: PM’s first overseas visit fettered by aging plane

Betty breakdown: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has had to rethink his travel plans for his first overseas visit due to the aging Defence Force plane he was due to fly on.

New Zealand’s equivalent to Air Force One, the Defence Force’s two Boeing 757s, nicknamed “Betty” by some, have proved unreliable. They are over 30 years old.

Luxon announced this afternoon he will travel to Sydney on Wednesday for the day to visit his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

He was due to fly on one of the 757s, accompanied by media, Defence Force personnel, diplomatic protection and the prime minister’s staff.

But 1News understands the plane Luxon was due to catch requires repairs which are doubtful to be completed before Wednesday. It’s understood the plane’s issues are age-related.

He may have to travel on a Defence Force P8 Poseidon aircraft, which has a smaller capacity, or fly commercially.

This afternoon Luxon said he and his team were “working through the options” and it would be clear tomorrow exactly how he would get to Australia.

He had previously criticised the planes after then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins travelled to China, with a back up plane following until Manila. The plane also had to leap-frog to China due to its limited range.

At the time, ACT leader David Seymour said the use of a back up plane demonstrated how “embarrassingly ancient” and “decrepit” the 757 fleet was.

Luxon said the unreliability of the 757 fleet was “incredibly frustrating for everybody”.

“It’s an issue that the military need to look at very, very closely about how we can support taking [media] with us as well, because that’s partly why we wanted to do it this way.

“It will be clear tomorrow if we’re travelling on the 757 or the P8 or commercial.”

Luxon, who had previously said if he were prime minister he would not fly on the Defence Force planes, said as the trip was “this close before Christmas” there was a “desire to get to Australia beforehand and actually wanting to take media with us”.

“It was the convenient thing to do so. But as you’ve seen, even in recent weeks, the reliability of that fleet is challenged.

“It raises into question the long term solution to that.”

Breakdown breakdown

One of the 757s also broke down in May last year during a trip to the US by former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

It also broke down at least once for former Prime Minister John Key in 2016. Ardern also hitched a ride with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from the Queen’s funeral in October last year to a world leaders’ meeting due to the 757’s limited range.

While countries like Australia used planes with enough range for a direct or one-stop flight, it would take days for the Air Force’s 757 to reach the UK from New Zealand.

The plane is typically used for official trips as it allows the Government to fly not just the Prime Minister – or whoever is leading the trip – but also staff, the Diplomatic Protection Service, Air Force staff, a business delegation and media delegation to the destination.

The planes are used for other VIP transportation purposes as well as for freight in the Pacific, to transport troops and for trips to Antarctica.

At the time, Chief of Air Force Air Vice Marshall Andrew Clark said he was putting together a case to replace the planes with something new or second-hand.

In October, figures obtained by the ACT Party show that over the last five years, maintenance on the two planes has cost $70 million.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/18/betty-breakdown-pms-first-overseas-visit-fettered-by-aging-plane/