Australia-bound plane carrying German Foreign Minister makes forced stopover in Abu Dhabi

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was forced to temporarily halt a trip to Australia on Monday due to mechanical issues with her plane, according to a ministry spokesperson.

The government plane was forced to return to Abu Dhabi for safety reasons after a technical malfunction with the wing flaps, said the spokesperson on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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The German Air Force said its crew was working to ensure Baerbock can continue her trip, which also includes stops in New Zealand and Fiji, and would issue more information when the Airbus A340 was ready to go.

Baerbock was stranded in Doha in May after problems with the tyres on the plane she was travelling on.

She also had to cancel a trip to meet with her British counterpart, James Cleverly, last year due to poor weather.

In 2018, former Chancellor Angela Merkel missed the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina over a 'serious malfunction' that forced her government plane to make an unscheduled landing.

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