Key's Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 left Whenuapai air base at Auckland and stopped in Townsville for refuelling, but mechanical problems prevented it taking off again as scheduled, a official said.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key had to delay a visit to India on Monday after his plane broke down en route in the north of Australia.

“It is a little bit sub-optimal,” Mr. Key told reporters in the coastal city of Townsville in northeast Queensland.

Planned meetings with Indian businessmen in Mumbai would be cancelled and the delegation would fly directly to New Delhi in a replacement plane on Tuesday, Michael Fox, a spokesman for Mr. Key, told Reuters by phone.

A meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go ahead as scheduled.

Key's Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 left Whenuapai air base at Auckland and stopped in Townsville for refuelling, but mechanical problems prevented it taking off again as scheduled, Mr. Fox said, without specifying the precise trouble.

The New Zealand Air Force was not immediately available for comment.