Jacinda Ardern flies home on commercial flight

SYDNEY: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was forced to fly home on a commercial flight on Friday after a technical snag hit her air force plane, following a two-day trip to Australia, where she spoke of the need to boost regional cooperation, a British wire service reported.

New Zealand media said Ardern was returning on a commercial flight, and the country’s defense force said her aircraft had suffered a failure of its air data computer during pre-flight checks, affecting the flight management system.

“A replacement part is being flown to Australia and it is expected the repair will be made tomorrow,” the defense force added in Friday’s statement to the Australian Associated Press.

New Zealand does not have a dedicated aircraft such as the US presidential Air Force One for its leaders, and the experience was not the first for one of its prime ministers.

In 2016, Prime Minister John Key had to delay a visit to India after his plane broke down on a refueling stop in the north of Australia.