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Sports |
Disgraceful explanation
AIR Niugini CEO Wasantha Kumarasiri’s
attempt to explain the airline’s recent spate of delays and
cancellations in both its domestic and international flights is
a disgrace.
He claims that these problems will be fixed by the middle of
November. So in the meantime, the people of Papua New Guinea are
forced to suffer because the airline cannot guarantee it will be
able to fly to any destination and return.
Meetings and family reunions are missed, important occasions
disrupted and the whole fabric of life in PNG, which relies on
aviation to keep it running, is sent into chaos.
All these problems are caused by renewal of the Air Niugini
fleet, so says the airline’s CEO.
So does this mean Air Niugini has never heard the concept of
planning?
Surely the CEO must be aware of renewal of the planes’ lease
months earlier. Acting when the problems occur, is stupid.
Efficient management identifies the issue and acts to avoid it,
not to cause customers endless grief before acting surprised and
trying too late, to address issues that should have been
resolved well in advance.
Meantime, tourists, who bring money into PNG and take home with
them their impressions of the country to share with their
friends and fellow-citizens, find their holidays ruined, and
leave with negative sentiments.
In the middle of it all, Air Niugini considers it appropriate to
charter its major international aeroplane to take the sporting
team to Samoa without providing any substitute aircraft.
Yes, of course, it is appropriate to support our team and their
success, but not at the expense of regular passengers who keep
money flowing into PNG and keep the country operating.
Perhaps the management of Air Niugini should acknowledge its
abject failure to act in the best interests of the airline and
PNG, and apologise properly, not put out pathetic and invalid
excuses to try to disguise their own incompetence.
B. Gus Dikas
Port Moresby
 
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