Combi flights by Air Niugini subsidiary, Link PNG, can carry passengers and cargoes at the same time.
Last week saw a successful airlifting of examination papers for grades 10 and 12 to West New Britain Province.
Air Niugini Chief Executive Officer Simon Foo said the use of the DHC-8 Combi aircraft allows the airline to move larger amounts of cargo at one time, and also to uplift bulky cargo that would not otherwise fit on other commercial flights.
“Whilst our Fokker aircraft are a great cargo solution in that they can carry over one ton of cargo as well as 100 passengers, the ‘Combi’ flights are proving to be an excellent addition to our capability,” Foo said.
In a Combi flight, the aircraft is configured to carry both passengers and cargo, with a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both areas to be used at the same time.
The Hoskins airport runway is currently being redeveloped to cater for Fokker 100 and F70 jet aircraft, so only Dash 8 is servicing the route.