Air Niugini held its very first face-to-face networking event with its travel and ticketing agents in Port Moresby recently, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic so to brief them on the latest plans and developments within the airlines.
The event also provided an opportunity for Port Moresby agents, as well as those that flew in from Kieta, Madang, Lae & Goroka, to discuss and ask questions about the airline products and anything relating to Air Niugini.
Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon thanked all the agents for turning up to the event, as he was then able to give a progressive update since he joined Air Niugini two months ago.
He highlighted several activities including re-fleeting, opportunities to improve customer service and airfares.
“As part of longer-term efforts to reduce airfares, Air Niugini is introducing new and more fuel-efficient aircraft to our inventory. We will continue to effectively manage expenditure and ensure the successful integration of new aircraft and crew. We need more seats on more efficient aircraft, to help us to reduce airfares.”
This signif
icant fleet replacement program will see the acquisition of 13 state of the art aircraft over the next five years, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Before that, Air Niugini will add two more Boeing 737-800 aircraft to the fleet as well as four Dash-8 Q400 turboprops.
These aircraft will arrive by September.” Mr Seddon said Air Niugini will restore integrity in their r schedule and confidence in our service while also strengthening their capacity, as they actively recruiting pilots and cabin crew.
“Our plans also heavily depend on the development of domestic airport infrastructure – runways in some centres need to be strengthened and lengthened.”
Since Mr. Seddon’s joining, Air Niugini has commenced a skills enhancement program to improve customer service for all front-line employees including ground staff and cabin crew. ANG have also established a leadership program with the first of many future airline leaders commencing the program shortly.
“Air Niugini is committing K40m to training over the next 3 years. With this training, we are defining the winning competencies to make Air Niugini the best airline in the region.
This is a very exciting time for Air Niugini, there is a lot to do, and I am very grateful to have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the management team to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead.”