Skip to main content

New Zealand prime minister gets backup plane during China trip as current plane is prone to breakdowns

The United States has Air Force One, a plane that can refuel in midair and act as a presidential command center.

New Zealand has Betty, an aging Boeing 757 that officials on Monday acknowledged was so prone to breakdowns they had sent an empty backup to ensure Prime Minister Chris Hipkins didn't get stranded in China, where he is leading a trade delegation.

Officials were quick to point out they had sent the plane's twin only as far as Manila, about 80% of the distance from Wellington to Beijing.

AIRLINE TRAVELER DUCKS BAGGAGE FEES BY DOING THIS WITH A FISHING VEST

Back in New Zealand, acting Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni was left to explain.

"If we didn’t have a backup plan and something did happen, and of course we hope it won’t, then not only would they be stranded in China, but the cost that that would incur — in terms of accommodation and trying to, at the last minute, organize some kind of plan to get them back — would outweigh having a backup aircraft waiting somewhere just in case," she said.

The twin Royal New Zealand Air Force planes that transport the prime minister are about 30 years old and are due to be replaced by 2030. Over the years, they have regularly broken down. In 2016, then Prime Minister John Key was on his way to India with a delegation when they got stuck in Australia until a backup plane was sent from New Zealand. Key was forced to cancel the Mumbai leg of his trip, a situation he described as "suboptimal."

Sepuloni said she didn't think the plane, which is sometimes affectionately called Betty, posed a physical danger to Hipkins and the 80 people traveling with him.

TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR SUMMER 2023 REVEALED: SEE IF YOUR PLANNED TRIP MADE THE LIST

"My understanding is there hasn’t been any event midair, or whilst in transit, that should cause any concern," she said.

Political rivals were quick to jump on the situation.

"This government declared a climate emergency and says we need to deal seriously with China," said David Seymour, leader of the opposition ACT party. "This one gesture has made a joke of both the government's climate emergency and its will to be taken seriously by a country that has an expanding blue-water navy in our backyard."

Sepuloni acknowledged the situation wasn't OK.

"We recognize, yes, our kit needs to be updated," Sepuloni said. "And so there’s a plan in place for doing that. We’re just not at the point where that’s happening right now."



from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/VAvDIlq
https://ift.tt/AuXTx9h
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Frenzy of tiger sharks feast on whale carcass off Australian coast

Drone footage captured by rangers shows dozens of tiger sharks feeding on the carcass of a humpback whale off the Australian coast .  The feasting involved some 50 tiger sharks scavenging a humpback whale that died of natural causes and was floating adrift in the Great Sandy Marine Park off Hervey Bay, which is about 180 miles north of Brisbane.  MONTANA MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 3 YEARS FOR TRAFFICKING EAGLE FEATHERS, PARTS The frenzy, captured on video by marine park rangers Sunday afternoon, prompted a warning from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science , reminding people to keep their distance from stranded or deceased marine animals.  "Where there are dead whales, there are likely sharks nearby and this vision clearly shows why this is the case," senior ranger Daniel Clifton told Australia’s news.com.au .  "The death of one whale, although sad, creates a life source for many other scavenging animals, including fish, sharks, and other marine like....
Post a Comment
Read more

Married pilot snorts cocaine off topless woman in booze-fueled romp before flight: report

A British Airways pilot was suspended and eventually fired after he was reported for drinking and using cocaine the night before a return flight to London. Mike Beaton, a pilot with British Airways, had a night off after a flight to Johannesburg last month that he used to indulge in large amounts of alcohol and snort cocaine off the chest of a topless woman, according to a report from the New York Post. Beaton, a married father of one, according to the report, revealed his night of antics to a fellow crew member before a return flight to London, telling her that he had been a "very naughty boy" during an exchange of text messages. BRITISH AIRWAYS INVESTIGATING REPORTS STEWARDESS IS OFFERING SEXUAL SERVICES BETWEEN FLIGHTS The pilot reportedly told the flight attendant in the text exchange that he had met two local men, a Welsh woman and a "young Spanish bird" at a Johannesburg nightclub the night before, when they engaged in hours of drinking and eventually fou...
Post a Comment
Read more

UK's $125M AI chip investment not enough to keep pace in tech race, experts warn: 'Go big or go home'

The United Kingdom has pledged to spend 100 million pounds (or $125.8 million) on buying and developing computer chips necessary for artificial intelligence (AI) systems in a move that seeks to cement Britain as a global leader in the sector, but experts worry it is not enough to match the competitive market.  "The U.K. has a valuable perspective on AI development – sitting between the U.S. free-for-all position and the EU regulatory approach – that makes it the perfect venue for the first international AI global safety conference," Alan Mendoza, co-founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.  British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to build thousands of high-powered artificial intelligence chips, building on a deal struck between the U.K. and U.S. during his state visit in June when he and President Biden signed the "Atlantic Declaration."  The White House touted the agreement as something that would ensure that the ...
Post a Comment
Read more