Airlines withdraw flights

By CLARISSA MOI
THREE international airliners have withdrawn their flights to the country due to travel restrictions as a result of the Covid-19.
Air Niugini chief executive officer Bruce Alabaster told The National that Virgin Australia, Qantas and Philippine Airlines withdrew all their flights to Papua New Guinea in the early part of last year, shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic started in the region.
“Despite the downturn in passenger traffic, Air Niugini has endeavoured to maintain its international services on the key routes to Brisbane, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cairns and Manila throughout the pandemic, thereby ensuring the supply of essential personnel and freight continues and the PNG economy remains open for business,” he said.
“At present, Air Niugini is the only airline providing regular scheduled flights to PNG, in line with the fact we are PNG’s national airline and here to support PNG even during the hard times when others chose to simply leave.
“While border restrictions both in PNG and overseas countries have conspired to reduce passenger numbers to a fraction of their pre-Covid levels, we continue to ensure critical freight continues to be uplifted.
“Air Niugini recognises the importance of maintaining these essential trade links between PNG and the rest of the world despite the present challenges.”
A spokesperson for Virgin Australia confirmed with The National that the company withdrew all its scheduled flights to/from Port Moresby and Tonga due to international restrictions and low demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These route withdrawals are indefinite as a result of the company’s restructuring post voluntary administration.”
Alabaster said Air Niugini was looking forward to expanding its services once borders started to reopen and passenger numbers begin to recover.
“We will continue to compete with whichever airlines choose to return to PNG once the pandemic is over, providing the high standard of services that our customers deserve.”