Following the announcement of the Australian government’s restriction on flights between PNG and Australia, Air Niugini has announced changes to its services.
For the period of 18th-27th March, flights from PNG to Cairns have been cancelled, and the number of passengers the airline is permitted to carry into Brisbane has been cut by 30 percent.
Air Niugini says it will continue to operate five services a week to Brisbane, however, as a result of the new restrictions, there are no seats available on any flight to Brisbane until at least the 27th of March, and only limited seats thereafter.
Air Niugini says some passengers already holding tickets will not be able to travel and will be contacted and assisted to re-book their flights for later dates.
Movement of freight between Brisbane and PNG (and vice versa) will not be affected by the new restrictions.
Air Niugini says it regrets the inconvenience caused and appreciates customers’ patience while they manage their way through the latest restrictions imposed.
Due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in PNG, the Australian government placed restrictions on the number of passengers on board each aircraft arriving in Australia from PNG.
This is to manage the risk of arriving passengers subsequently testing positive for COVID-19 during their stay in quarantine facilities.