Air Niugini team congratulated for refitting plane

AIR Niugini managing director Alan Milne has congratulated his 30-member engineering team who completed a heavy maintenance check of a Solomon Air’s Dash 8.
Milne made the comments during the release of the aircraft last week at the engineering hanger at Jackson Airport in Port Moresby after undergoing five weeks of refitting.
Milne said after Solomon Air, there was another airline also in the queue but did not name the airline.
Milne said PNG’s geographic location, talent and infrastructure made it a logical option for airline servicing for operations in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific islands.
“We have some of the best talent in the engineering space that I’ve seen in my 40 years in the aviation industry.
“But beyond that, financially it makes sense to consider the Air Niugini MRO when airline operators are sending millions of dollars to have their aircraft serviced as far as Europe.”
Milne said Air Niugini’s maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) facility was based at Jackson’s Airport and would specialise in a range of aircraft, including the Dash 8 and Fokker aircraft.
Prior to the Air Niugini facility opening for external airlines, carried previously had to fly their fleets of aircraft to other service hubs in Asia and as far as Europe.
He said this opportunity would also give Air Niugini a new income stream that would contribute to the financial security of Papua New Guinea’s national airline.