QantasLink flies direct Port Moresby-Cairns route

QANTASLINK has started flying daily between Port Moresby and Cairns again with its inaugural flight on Sunday.
The 74-seat Q400 plane will leave Cairns at 9.55am and Jackson Airport at 12.30pm.
The flight takes about an hour.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the service would create more travel options for the growing number of customers travelling between Papua New Guinea and Queensland.
“We’ve been watching the market closely and responded to feedback from the Cairns business community who we know want a direct connection to Papua New Guinea,” he said in a statement.
“Cairns is one of the most-popular holiday destinations on our network, so we’re also pleased to give travellers from Port Moresby more opportunities to experience the beauty of Far North Queensland.”
Richard Yopo, the chief executive of the National Airports Corporation of PNG, said: “We are delighted to see Qantas expanding the routes from Port Moresby into Australia with this new daily Cairns service.”
Jackson Airport welcomed the arrival of the first flight from Cairns on Sunday morning with a water canon salute on the tarmac.
Cairns Airport CEO Norris Carter said: “We are delighted to welcome the resumption of Qantas direct services from Cairns to Port Moresby as this provides a valuable link to PNG from North Queensland.
“We also welcome the additional Qantas seats now coming out of Sydney and Brisbane to Cairns.”