German foreign minister scraps Pacific trip after persistent problem with her plane

Germany’s foreign minister has abandoned a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after a problem with her government plane twice forced it to return to Abu Dhabi, delaying her by more than a day

Germany Government Plane ((c) Copyright 2023, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Germany's foreign minister has abandoned a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after a problem with her government plane twice forced it to return to Abu Dhabi, delaying her by more than a day.

Annalena Baerbock set off from Berlin Sunday on what was supposed to be a nearly weeklong trip, and was scheduled to arrive in Canberra on Monday night. But a mechanical problem with her aging German air force Airbus A340's landing flaps meant that it had to turn back to Abu Dhabi after a refueling stop there.

The aircraft took off again for Australia on Monday night after a test flight was conducted without problems. But the technical problem resurfaced shortly after takeoff and the plane had to return to the Emirati capital again.

On Tuesday morning, Baerbock called off the trip.

“We tried everything — unfortunately it is not logistically possible to continue my Indo-Pacific trip without the defective plane,” the minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is more than annoying.”

“We do not just have close friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” she added. “The region will mark the world order of the 21st century decisively.”

Baerbock did not specify how she would be returning to Germany.

It is the latest in a string of embarrassing problems with Germany’s government planes that have affected various senior officials, and the second in a few months for Baerbock. In May, she had to extend a trip to the Persian Gulf region by a day because of a damaged tire on an aircraft when she was in Qatar.

The plane Baerbock was using for her flight to Australia — one of two A340s that joined the government fleet in 2011 and was previously used by Lufthansa — was involved in a 2018 incident that resulted in then-Chancellor Angela Merkel making a delayed departure to a Group of 20 summit in Argentina on a commercial flight.

The government has since ordered three new A350 jets, two of which are already in service.

The Defense Ministry said on Monday that the A340 in question is due to be taken out of service at the end of September, and its sister aircraft at the end of next year. But it said the plane had been chosen according to what was available and needed, and defended the record of its fleet.