This afternoon at the APEC Terminal at 7 Mile in Port Moresby city the second Air Niugini Airbus A220- 300 touched down at 2PM, heralding the rapid progress in the re-fleeting exercise of the national airline.
A proud moment for the Air Niugini management and the Government with the Minister for State Enterprises William Duma watching on with pride as the latest addition rolled in through the traditional water salute courtesy of two National Airport Corporation (NAC) Fire and Rescue trucks.
Air Niugini Board Chairman Mr. Karl Yalo said the introduction of the latest Airbus A220 is going to improve Air Niugini's services to passengers. He said with the new fleet up and running, issues like flight disruptions will soon be a thing of the past, but perhaps what is significant of them all is safety, which he said Air Niugini prioritizes on.
“In recent months, many of you my fellow Papua New Guineans experienced delays, cancellations and last-minute changes. Families have missed important events, businesses have lost opportunities and people have struggled to reach schools, workplaces and hospitals,” said the Chairman.
"To all our customers, I want to say clearly that we’ve heard your frustrations and your anger. We acknowledged the inconvenience, the stress and financial hardship you have faced.”
“Through all of these, one principle is nonnegotiable, and that is safety,” said Mr. Yalo, stressing that Air Niugini would not hinder safety no matter what.
He then said the disruptions are due to the long-term structural problems and aging fleet, years of under investment, constraints and pressure on parts and maintenance. However, thanks to the National Government and Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH), these matters are being addressed with the arrival of the new aircrafts and more.
Air Niugini is receiving in total eleven (11) new Airbus A220- 300 aircrafts. The first one arrived on the eve of the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations on September 15th and today the second one has arrived all the way from Canada to Honolulu (Hawaii), Fiji and eventually Port Moresby city.
