The people of West New Britain will again get the comfort of flights from Air Niugini’s Fokker 70 (F70).
The F70 is making its maiden flight to Hoskins this afternoon from the Jacksons International airport in Port Moresby.
It has been more than five years for turbo prop aircraft to fly into WNB and the F70 jet aircraft flight will be a bonus for WNB people, giving Air Niugini customers jet comfort, speed and more seats between Port Moresby and Hoskins.
The F70 has advantages over the Q400 due to its long range capability where it can operate on routes that F100 and Boeing fleets are too large to operate on.
The plane also glides at an altitude of 35,000 feet compared to 27,000 feet by the Q400 thus providing a smoother ride.
The plane also flies faster and cuts 20 minutes each way from the Cairns route over the Q400.
Rear mounted engines provide for a quieter cabin which is also wider with more head room and has a larger cargo hold than the Q400.
The F70 has 80 seats, 70 economy and 10 business.
Five more F70 aircraft are expected in the country by the end of the year.