Acquisition and lease of planes expected to boost PX

AIR Niugini’s purchase of six Airbus A220 100 series jets and the leasing of five more is expected to improve the airline’s flight operations, acting chief executive officer Gary Seddon says.
Speaking at the purchase order signing with Airbus yesterday, Seddon said Air Niugini purchased six of the A220 series and would lease a further five aircraft from a third party lessor; the five leased aircraft would comprise two Airbus A220s and three larger A220-300 series jets.
Airbus stated that at the end of September that it had received over 800 orders from 30 airlines worldwide and 280 had already been delivered globally with 17 airlines already using the A220 series aircrafts.
According to Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer, the efficiency and range capability of the A220s made it an ideal option for Air Niugini’s network as it looked to improve and expand its service.
Airbus is expected to support Air Niugini with its fleet transitioning and the first orders of the jet series aircraft are expected to arrive in the country by June 2025. Airbus Asia-Pacific president Anand Stanley said his company recognised the challenges in PNG’s aviation sector and the latest streamline A220 jetliner had a capacity to complement and support the country’s economic growth.
The aircraft has a maximum seating capacity of 150 passengers which would suit PNG’s high demand for domestic air travel as well as to regional overseas ports in Asia, the Pacific and Australia.
“Through the purchase of these jets Air Niugini and PNG is increasing its reach both regionally and internationally,” Stanley said.
Seddon said the purchase was a milestone in the airline’s history.
“The A220 has latest technology, fuel efficiency and more comfortable cabins.
“The A220 series will service domestic routes but also have the capacity and flexibility to operate international routes that require flying times of around seven hours.
The planes are expected to support the growth of trade and tourism for the country once they arrive in 2025.