The recent flight disruptions and the frustrations caused by them should be a thing of the past going forward now that the national airline- Air Niugini, is rapidly re-fleeting its aging fleet of aircrafts.
Today saw the third new Airbus A220- 300 touch down in Port Moresby city much to the excitement and relief of Air Niugini and its major shareholder- the government.
Minister for State Enterprises William Duma laid it out straight in his keynote address, stating that there is much work to do in lifting the service provided to passengers and with the latest arrival, there should be no excuse but to deliver to the people with airline services.
He said the new A 220- 300 came into service at a time where there is a big need for more aircrafts to be able to continue to cater for the ever-growing demands from the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
“We’ve all seen the challenges faced by our airline in the last two days. When several aircrafts became unserviceable all at the same time, it just simply caused serious disruptions,” said the good minister.
Duma said this leads to passenger frustrations, which then leads to Air Niugini staff also being frustrated. However, this re- fleeting is addressing this matter, and it is fully expected that 2026 onwards, the Air Niugini fleet should be in a very good position to once again deliver the best airline service to passengers.
Meanwhile, Air Niugini will commence commercial flights using its brand-new Airbus A220-300 aircraft to Tokua Airport, Rabaul tomorrow, Friday 19 December. This milestone service marks another important step in the airline’s fleet modernization program and demonstrates Air Niugini’s commitment to improving connectivity and travel experience for Papua New Guineans, particularly during the busy Christmas travel period.
The operation of the Airbus A220-300 to Tokua follows approval and operational clearance by the National Airports Corporation (NAC), allowing Air Niugini to deploy the aircraft to assist with peak seasonal demand, passenger backlogs and increased travel across the domestic network.
Air Niugini also acknowledges NAC’s support and collaboration in facilitating this important service at a time when many families are travelling to reunite with loved ones for Christmas.
