Officially, the A400M is in New Zealand for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) 80th anniversary celebrations, but a sales pitch is well underway.

The British Royal Air Force (RAF) plane touched down in Wellington on Thursday afternoon, conducting short flights for defence VIPs and the media on Friday morning, before heading to Ohakea for the 2017 Air Tattoo.

Wing Commander Simon Boyle, part of a crew which flew the plane to Wellington via Iceland, the United States and Fiji said he was "delighted" to visit New Zealand, a "key partner" for the RAF.

MONIQUE FORD / Stuff.co.nz Taking a ride in an Airbus A400M was one hell of a ride.

But a major factor in the trip is a bid by manufacturer Airbus to convince Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee to consider the aircraft as a potential replacement of the C130 Hercules.

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Already more than 50 years old, the 2016 defence white paper said the Hercules would need to be replaced by about 2020.

MONIQUE FORD / FAIRFAX NZ A Royal Air Force Airbus A400M at Wellington Airport. The plane will travel to the Ohakea to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force but visited the capital as part of Airbus' bid to convince the Government to consider the planes as a possible replacement for the aging C-130 Hercules.

More than a year before the paper was released, Airbus began running newspaper advertisements promoting the A400M capabilities.

At 45.1m long it is almost 50 per cent longer than the Hercules, the aircraft can carry four times as much cargo, including the ability to carry the NH90 helicopter in its hold.

The first fixed-wing aircraft developed by Airbus, the four turboprop engines are capable of flying as low as 150 feet off the ground, while it is also capable of speeds close to jet engines at 40,000 feet.

MONIQUE FORD / FAIRFAX NZ The Airbus A400M flies low over Wellington Airport

"Given my experience of the aircraft and the kind of mission sets that we hope to deploy the aircraft for, and the kind of mission set that you will need the aircraft for, I can see it performing very well," Boyle told media at the RNZAF facility at Rongotai.

But the plane, developed by a consortium of European countries, comes with a hefty pricetag of $230 million each.

While Airbus could reportedly offer a discount in a bid to attract a new customer, analysts have suggested the Brazilian Embraer KC-390, at around half the price of the A400M, is the frontrunner.

MONIQUE FORD / FAIRFAX NZ As well as being able to fly at close to the speed of a jet at 40,000 feet, Airbus says the A400M can fly at just 150 feet above the ground.

A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed he did not see the A400M in Wellington but would "probably" see it at Ohakea during the tattoo.

Options to replace the Hercules would be considered when appropriate.



"[The New Zealand Defence Force] and [Ministry of Defence] are currently working through the process of determining what requirements are needed for the Future Air Mobility Project and what assets could provide those requirements."