Airbus A400M touches down in NZ

The military transport plane that European aviation giant Airbus wants to sell the government has arrived in New Zealand for the first time.

An A400M owned by the British Royal Air Force touched down in Wellington just after 3pm, and is parked outside the RNZAF terminal.

Airbus A400M touches down in NZ

The main purpose of its visit is to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the RNZAF, which is holding an Air Tattoo at Ohakea Air Base this weekend.

It's also being used by Airbus as part of a pitch to the government to buy the variant as a replacement to the RNZAF's fleet of 52-year-old Lockheed C-130H Hercules planes.

Filmed by Jamie Burt

Newshub