Air Niugini

Manam is the second volcano to have erupted just days after the eruption of Mt Ulawun in West New Britain.

There will be no aircraft overnight in Madang this weekend while PX 112 on Saturday and Sunday will be rescheduled to the following day.

Hoskins aerodrome meanwhile is still closed for airline operations. Air Niugini has retimed and re-routed all Hoskins flights for this weekend via Rabaul and Lae. National Airports Corporation (NAC) has commenced removing the ash from the runway and taxiways but this will take some time.

The airport authority, National Airports Corporation, has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) advising the temporary closure of the Hoskins aerodrome.

The situation is being monitored on a daily basis and the resumption of flights will depend on the volcanic activity.  

Passengers who are traveling to Hoskins are reminded not to travel at this time as you may be stranded in Port Moresby. Should passengers insist to travel, all costs will be at their own expense.

Air Niugini appreciates the traveling public’s understanding on this matter.

Air Niugini Managing Director, Alan Milne, said: “This mobile payment service is part of the new way forward for e-commerce in the country and utilising the platform will make it easier for customers of all walks of life.

“Under Air Niugini’s High Altitude Program, the customer is one of the key pillars of the organisation and in partnership with Bank South Pacific, Air Niugini is able to enhance the airline ticket payment process of our customers through the use of mobile phones and BSP’s Mobile Banking Service *131#.”

This follows the installation of solar panels which supply power to the Precision Path Indicator lights, or PAPI lights.

PAPI lights are a visual aid that is generally located beside the runway and help pilots maintain the correct approach to an airport.

It is a requirement for jet operations.

Air Niugini alleged the previous solar panels were stolen by criminals, resulting in suspension of jet operations to Aropa for several months.

"This is not the first time solar panels were stolen, affecting flights into the area."

Managing Director, Alan Milne, said the airline will be focusing on its domestic product as it aims to become more competitive.

During his presentation to the POM Chamber of Commerce, he revealed that loss-making routes would be suspended.

He announced that Townsville, Denpasar, Shanghai and Tokyo flights were affected by this.

Managing Director Alan Milne said the airline has to make tough decisions to ensure it gets back to being a profitable company.

Speaking at the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry Breakfast recently, Milne said it was unsustainable to continue to operate loss making routes.

A number of international routes have been put on hold due to the impact on the business.

Managing director Alan Milne said 2018 was a tough year for the national flag carrier with substantial losses at the back of softening revenue and poor performance.

Milne said among the factors affecting Air Niugini’s performance were the Dash 8 aircraft burning in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province; the P2-PXE Boeing 737-8BK crash in Chuuk; and several loss making routes.

Milne said the state company has initiated a transformation program called ‘Higher Altitudes’ which aims to control cost, enhance revenue, develop staff and operational and customer excellence.

PX CEO, Alan Milne, said the first two will arrive before the end of 2020 and the other two in 2021.

He made the announcement at the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce & Industry Breakfast event yesterday.

The announcement by the Air Niugini CEO comes in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 aircraft crash killing all passengers and crew on board.

The incident has seen the grounding of 737 MAX 8 aircrafts by major airline companies around the world.

PNG Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) CEO Reatau Rau said the partnership covers all the SP Hunters travels to and from Queensland during the 2019 Queensland Intrust Super Cup season.

“We are grateful to our national flag carrier Air Niugini for continuing this vital partnership for the SP PNG Hunters players and staff to travel to and from Queensland to participate in the Intrust Super Cup competition this season,” Rau said.

According to the brief statement from the airline, the Accident Investigation Commission investigation is on-going, therefore the specific claims made in the writ and published in the media, are yet to be proven.

Air Niugini’s management stated that since the incident, it has been in contact with all passengers to ensure they were getting the support they need, and majority of the passengers have welcomed the assistance.