PNG Air
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1987 (As Milne Bay Air) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Jacksons International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
| Destinations | 23 | ||||||
| Headquarters |
Jacksons International Airport Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | ||||||
| Key people |
Murray Woo (chairman) Muralee Siva (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www.pngair.com.pg | ||||||
PNG Air is an airline based on the grounds of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.[1] It operates scheduled domestic and international flights, as well as contract corporate charter work. Its main base is Jacksons International Airport.[2]
History
The airline was originally established and started operations in 1987 as Milne Bay Air or simply MBA. It operated as a charter company in the resource development industry. The airline obtained an RPT (scheduled passenger services) licence in September 1992 and received its airline licence in March 1997. With its headquarters and main operating base set in Port Moresby, there are also support staff in Cairns, Australia. PNG Air has 750 staff. In 2008 the airline was listed on the Port Moresby Stock Exchange, PNG Air, Papua New Guinea’s second largest airline.[2]
In November 2015, the airline rebranded and unveiled a new livery. It also received its first ATR 72-600 aircraft, to become the backbone of the fleet by 2020.[3][4]
- A publicly listed PNG regional airline carrier with more than 25 years’ experience, employing over 750 staff
- Headquartered in Port Moresby where both the administration and engineering facilities are located
- Ownership of the airline is now held by NASFUND and MRDC interests with the airline being totally PNG owned
- A regional carrier that provides both RPT services and contracted services to the world’s largest resource companies
- Operates 4 ATR 72 aircraft (72 seats) and10 Dash 8 aircraft (36 seats) and by the end of 2017 will have 7 ATR 72 aircraft
- Strong management team with extensive experience in PNG, Australia and the Pacific region
Destinations
PNG Air operates scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:
Indonesia
- Jayapura (DJJ) - Sentani Airport (begins 1 February 2017)[5]
Papua New Guinea
- Alotau (GUR) – Gurney Airport
- Buka (BUK) – Buka Airport
- Daru (DAU) – Daru Airport
- Goroka (GKA) – Goroka Airport
- Hoskins (HKN) – Hoskins Airport
- Kiunga (UNG) – Kiunga Airport
- Aropa (KIE) – Kieta Airport
- Kavieng (KVG) – Kavieng Airport
- Lae (LAE) – Lae Airport
- Lihir Island – Kunaye Airport
- Losuia (LSA) – Losuia Airport
- Madang (MAG) – Madang Airport
- Misima (MIS) – Misima Airport
- Moro (MXH) – Moro Airport
- Mount Hagen (HGU) – Mount Hagen Airport
- Popondetta (PNP) – Girua Airport
- Port Moresby (POM) – Jacksons International Airport hub
- Rabaul / Kokopo (RAB) – Rabaul Airport
- Tabubil (TBG) – Tabubil Airport
- Tari (TIZ) – Tari Airport
- Tufi (TFI) – Tufi Airport
- Vanimo (VNO) – Vanimo Airport
- Wewak (WWK) – Wewak Airport
The airline previously operated flights to Cairns - Australia
Fleet
The PNG Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2016):[7][8]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-600C | 4 | 7 | ? | — |
| Bombardier Dash 8-100 | 13 | — | ? | — |
| Total | 17 | 7 | ||
Incidents and accidents
- 15 December 1992. A Britten-Norman Islander aircraft struck a mountain near Alotau, Papua New Guinea. 6 people killed.[9]
- 12 July 1995. Shortly after takeoff from Dagura Airport, the Twin Otter aircraft exploded and crashed into shallow water. 13 people killed.[9]
- 11 May 1996. Britten-Norman Islander flew into a valley surrounded by high terrain near Oumba. Pilot attempted a 180 degree turn, but crashed into trees. 1 passenger killed.[9]
- 9 July 1996. Twin Otter aircraft struck a mountain in cloudy conditions on approach to Mendi. 20 killed.[9]
- 29 July 2004. Twin Otter crashed near Ononge, in cloudy conditions. 2 killed.[10]
- 11 August 2009. Flight 4684, a Twin Otter, made a failed go-around in cloudy conditions near Kokoda. The aircraft crashed into a mountain at an altitude of 5500 feet (1676 metres). All 13 people on board were killed.[10]
- 13 October 2011. A PNG Air Dash 8-100, registration P2-MCJ, operating flight CG1600 from Lae to Madang (Papua New Guinea), crashed about 20 km south of Madang and caught fire, killing 28 of the 32 aboard.[11][12]
External links
References
- ↑ "APNG Contacts." Airlines PNG. Retrieved on 26 May 2010. "Head Office Jacksons Airport Port Moresby – Papua New Guinea"
- 1 2 Flight International 27 March 2007
- ↑ "Can PNG Air Help Spur Tourism in Papua New Guinea?". TravelPulse. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ "PNG Air – News". Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ "PNG Air schedules Mount Hagen int'l debut for mid-1Q17". ch-aviation. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ↑ "PNG Air – Schedule / Map". Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part Two)". Airliner World (November 2016): 28.
- ↑ "PNG Air signs for five additional ATR 72-600s" (Press release). ATR. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 "Milne Bay Air Crash History". Aviation Safety Network. 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- 1 2 "Airlines PNG Crash History". Aviation Safety Network. 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ↑ "The Aviation Herald". Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ "Aussie pilot survives plane crash in Papua New Guinea which killed 28 others". AAP. 14 October 2011.