Air Niugini set to operate Cairns-Hong Kong route

AIR Niugini is ready to operate the Cairns-Hong Kong route via Port Moresby using its wide body Boeing 767 aircraft, managing director Alan Milne says.
Milne said this during a meeting with business leaders in Cairns, Australia, following the announcement by Cathay Pacific to cease flights on that route.
“Air Niugini is not new to the Hong Kong route and is not new to Cairns,” he said.
“We already operate three weekly services to Hong Kong and five services to each of the other Asian hubs of Singapore and Manila using our Boeing 747 aircraft.
“We provide convenient connections from Cairns to Asia and the wider Pacific and are already the fastest route from Cairns to Manila.
“We are also the fastest one stop route between Cairns and Hong Kong a little over nine-hours compared to 13-plus hours via Brisbane and Singapore and at competitive fares.”
Milne said Air Niugini had the capacity to carry both passengers and cargo weighing up to 18 tonnes in their Boeing 767 aircraft.
Milne said the difference between Air Niugini and other airlines was that it already operated the route and was ready.
During the meeting, the business community in Cairns were encouraged to make use of the airlines’ frequent services between Cairns and Port Moresby and also the other 23 domestic towns and resource industry centres in throughout Papua New Guinea.
The announcement by Cathay Pacific to cancel their services to Cairns was a major blow to Australia’s far North Queensland tourism and export industry.
As a result the business community in Cairns wanted an airline to take-over from Cathay.