But an Air New Zealand plane had a very different reason for making an unplanned stop yesterday – they were picking up the country’s prime minister after his government aircraft broke down.
A New Zealand Defence Force plane carrying Prime Minister Luxon experienced technical difficulties and was unable to continue the journey to Tokyo. Fortunately, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran arranged for a commercial flight to pick up the stranded passengers, including Luxon, and continue the trip. Coincidentally, Luxon had previously served as the CEO of Air New Zealand before entering politics.