Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, has signed a firm order with Airbus for six latest generation single aisle A220-100s under its fleet modernization program. In addition, the carrier will acquire three A220-300s and another two A220-100s from third-party lessors.
The order was announced at a special event in Port Moresby by Gary Seddon, Acting Chief Executive Officer Air Niugini, and Anand Stanley, President Airbus Asia-Pacific, in the presence of the Hon. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, and Hon. William Duma, Minister for State Enterprises.
The A220 will be operated by Air Niugini across its domestic and regional network. The new fleet will deliver more capacity and greater reliability across the domestic network and enable the carrier to fly from the capital Port Moresby to new destinations across the Asia-Pacific region.
Minister Duma said: “This is a momentous occasion for Air Niugini. Coinciding with the airline’s 50th Anniversary, Air Niugini secures six new regional jets that will revolutionize travel for the citizens of Papua New Guinea. I am looking forward to welcoming the ‘People’s Balus’ (the people’s plane) to our skies”.
Air Niugini also announced that it has selected a flight planning support system from Airbus subsidiary NAVBLUE for its fleet. Called N-Flight Planning (N-FP), the solution will help the airline optimize fuel, time, and cost to meet operational needs, while ensuring overall safety and compliance.
As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with 100% SAF by 2030.
As of the end of September, Airbus has received over 800 orders from around 30 customers for the A220, of which more than 280 have been delivered. The A220 is already in successful service with 17 airlines worldwide.
