PNG Air, Virgin Aust announce start of codeshare agreement

PNG Air and Virgin Australia announced the commencement of a codeshare agreement between the two airlines, with flights now available to book.
PNG Air chief executive officer Tony Abbot said it represented a coming together of two well established carriers with equal commitment to quality and value.
“The key aim is to offer travellers in both Papua New Guinea and Australia a greater level of comfort and choice,” he said.
“Under the codeshare agreement, PNG Air passengers will be able to book and travel all the way through and from airports in PNG to their destinations in Australia with the codeshare providing seamless travel from Popondetta to Perth or Brisbane to Buka.”
Abbot said the agreement had generated a lot of interest from across the country and has been a focus of activity for the PNG Air team since being approved by regulators earlier this year.
“This agreement has been developed for the convenience of passengers travelling to and from destinations across Papua New Guinea and Australia, whether it be for work, business or leisure,” PNG Air’s chief commercial officer Michael Fry said.
“It’s critical we have a seamless transition and we will be phasing in reservations and travel bookings between Port Moresby and Brisbane today, transitioning to the Papua New Guinea domestic network and then Australian domestic, before offering full point to point bookings from one domestic market to the other.”
“Despite the regulatory need for customs, quarantine and immigration checks at international ports of departure and arrival, the codeshare offers a much more streamlined service to air passengers.
“It provides greater choice and competition for air passengers travelling between PNG and Australia.”