Guatemala City, June 7 (IANS): US Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Guatemala City for her first foreign trip after taking office in January following a technical issue with her aircraft delayed the departure.

Harris was welcomed by Foreign Affairs Pedro Brolo ans US Ambassador to Guatemala William Popp at about 6.30 p.m., on Sunday, dpa news agency reported.

Less than half an hour after taking off from a military airfield near Washington, the government plane Harris was travelling on had to return to the airport in order to be changed out, according to spokeswoman Symone Sanders.

"It is a technical issue. There are no major safety concerns," she said.

Sanders later told reporters that the Air Force Two crew noticed an issue with the landing gear, which was not storing as it should, adding that the plane turned around "out of an abundance of caution".

Harris' official visit to Guatemala and Mexico on Monday and Tuesday will focus on migration and economic cooperation.

President Joe Biden has tasked Harris with taking the lead on curbing migration to the US.