By: Riz.chaudhry 0 comments

Australia PM's plane fault delays Nato trip

TOWNSVILLE: PRIME Minister Julia Gillard's VIP plane has broken down, delaying her arrival in the US city of Chicago for a major NATO summit.

AAP understands Ms Gillard's plane was unable to fly out of Townsville at the scheduled time because of a mechanical failure.

A replacement plane has been sent from Canberra but Ms Gillard is now expected to arrive much later than expected - meaning she may miss some scheduled bilateral meetings.

Ms Gillard was bound for Chicago, where she will meet US President Barack Obama and other NATO and International Security Assistance Force leaders for three days of talks about Afghanistan.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister later said Ms Gillard would not miss any talks in Chicago.

"She didn't have meetings planned at the other end so she won't be missing anything," the spokeswoman said.

The prime minister's plane is expected to take off about four hours after originally planned.