The business delegation travelling with the Prime Minister to India are most disappointed in missing the first stage of the trip.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 they're travelling on failed to take off, after a fuel stop in Townsville, Australia.

MORE: PM's trip to India off to a delayed start

John Key, 80 delegates and a contingent of journalists were left stranded there overnight - with another Air Force plane due to pick them up this morning.

The group's being picked up by a replacement plane today.

It will by-pass Mumbai, and go straight to New Delhi, for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Key said as much as it's frustrating, planes do run into problems from time to time.

"You'd always want the Air Force and in fact any airline operator to have safety and security as their maximum priority and it's my expectation of the Air Force even if it causes disruption to our travel."

Herald reporter Nicholas Jones was one of them, and said they've missed the whole first day of a fleeting two-and-a-half day trip.

"We'll still get the most import meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, but disappointing for the business delegation who would have been looking forward to Mumbai which was more focused on New Zealand businesses."

Mr Key said Indian students are important to our export education market, which is worth about three and a half billion dollars a year.

"We don't want students to turn up in New Zealand, either ones that have effectively through their agents gone around the rules, and fraudulently got to New Zealand. It's not good for them and it's not good for New Zealand."

Mr Key said the issue is likely to be brought up when he eventually gets to India.