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Buka flights off
By SHEILA LASIBORI and
AUGUSTINE KINNA
AIR Niugini has cancelled all flights to
the Autonomous Region of Bougianville for an indefinite period following
an anonymous bomb threat.
The threat was faxed to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the
airline’s headquarters in Port Moresby yesterday morning.
The three-page, handwritten letter said Buka runway had been damaged and
that “high risk materials” had been placed at the terminal.
It warned that “we will not allow any plane to land until further
notice”.
The letter was signed off by a “C.U.” and “BLF”, which is also the
acronym for the Bougainville Liberation Front that fought alongside
Government forces in the Bougainville crisis.
Police and airport authorities conducted a check and found the runway
intact and no suspicious materials.
However, the airline proceeded to cancel the midday PX252 flight and
suspended all other flights into Bougainville until further notice.
“The decision had been made by our authorities for the safety of our
aircraft and passengers,” the airline’s Buka branch manager Peter Pais
told The National. “There is nothing much that we can do.”
Police personnel have been deployed at the airport.
Buka police chief Insp Cletus Tsein described the threat as “an act of
terrorism” and said an investigation was underway.
It is believed that the threat was faxed to Air Niugini at 6.54am.
At 8.35am, Air Niugini faxed the letter to the CAA with a note to CEO
Joseph Kintau that “PX252 is cancelled”.
The letter, which was addressed to Air Niugini and supposedly faxed from
a “Inda Association of Buka”, said:
“You are adviced that all Air Niugini flights into Buka will be
suspended until further notice from us.
“We have damage parts of the run-way last night and will not allow any
plane to land until further notice.
“Our men are armed. We have also placed ‘high risk’ materials at the
Buka terminal.
“This issue of the govt lying and giving us the empty promise is enough.
You have been warned!”
The other two pages essentially told the airline to cancel flight PX252
or “we will take over it today”.
The acting chief administrator of the autonomous region, Mr Bruno Babato,
said the people behind the threats should bring their grievances up for
discussion.
He said there was little they could do since they did not know the
source of the threat and the reasons behind it.
He said the administration would meet with the CAA, police and Air
Niugini to restore normal air services to Buka.
 
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