Airline strives to be successful

AIR Niugini has grown since its establishment in 1973 to become a successful company with new initiatives planned, according to Air Niugini chief executive officer Simon Foo.
During the airline’s Milestone Dinner on Wednesday in Port Moresby, Foo talked about the progress of Air Niugini since its establishment and explained new initiatives planned by its board.
He said he got married two years after Air Niugini started and “I have five bubu”.
He said some of the staff “have been here for 25 years, 30 years, 35 years and 40 years”.
“The board has approved a few things for the staff and one of the key ones is the home ownership scheme,” he said.
“We will be giving everyone the opportunity to own a home and it becomes your responsibility and not the companies.”
Foos said as the airline company moved into its fifth decade, a new building was being constructed and would be completed around December.
It will be occupied around February next year.
“The restaurant there will have an aviation theme and we want to make sure that our history is recorded in everything we do. We will be going out to ask for souvenir photos that will depict it nicely for the future generations,” he said.
Foo said Air Niugini had only one subsidiary company – Air Link – and the board would be focusing on more subsidiary companies.
According to its website, Air Niugini fleet consists of Boeing 767 and 737 jets for international routes along with Fokker F-100 aircraft while the Q400 and Dash 8 aircraft for the challenging terrain.
The Fokker F-100 flies to Cairns in Australia, Honiara, Solomon Islands and Port Vila, Vanuatu. The B737 operates domestic flights.