PNG Air, one of the country’s longest serving airline operators marked its 35 years of service to the country recently, celebrating its achievements as it evolved over the years from an island air charter business to one of the major commercial airliners in Papua New Guinea. Speaking during the 35th Anniversary celebrations on Thursday night in Port Moresby, the airliner’s Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Stanley Stevens, said the company will continue to navigate through the challenges and will endeavor to make the right changes going into the future for its customers and the country.
The airline company’s humble beginning started in the Milne Bay province when the Wild family from Australia started the Milne Bay Air, known back then as MBA, in 1987.
The airline operated by transported personnel and equipment to the resource projects in Misima Gold Mine and other resource project areas in the country. It expended from there with new aircrafts and with it, expended its services to other parts of the country.
In 2001, the airline expended to become Airlines PNG and later in 2015, an image change to the now PNG Air name and with it, saw the company brought in new generation aircrafts for its fleet to service its routes. “35 years of contributing to PNG’s economic growth, it means 35 years of connecting families, business, tourists, charter clients and VIP cargo across the whole country,” said the Acting CEO.
However, even though the airline company saw its operations expend over the years, there were always challenges and hard times, which the company continues to face and work to overcome. The Acting CEO said the COVID-19 pandemic was tough on business but with good management strategies, they were able to pull through in a time where a lot of airline operators throughout the world closed business because of the pandemic. “We are excited for what the company has in store for the airline, as we continue to adapt and change with the times, while maintaining our position as the people’s airline and support the government’s plan to connect rural population as well as having the right type of aircrafts going forward into the future.”
The Acting CEO later thanked the people and organizations that have supported PNG Air right throughout for without support and partnership, the airline company would not have come this far and now going forward into the future.