Defence air wing deserves better

 IT IS a costly exercise to manage and operate a fleet of aircraft.

In this day and age, high technology and highly-skilled personnel are essential to keep planes flying.

Buying an aircraft is one thing but maintaining its operations is a bigger challenge.

While a commercial aviation company can successfully sustain itself through regular revenue, a government-owned aviation entity relies on the state for funding assistance.

And so it is with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force Air Transport Wing. 

Given the state of the PNG installations around the country and especially at the PNGDF Murray Barracks headquarters, there seems to be little hope for the ATW ever growing out of its present state and becoming a fully-fledged air force.

It was revealed again this week that lack of funding to maintain and sustain the ATW over the years has resulted in the loss of skilled workers.

Many skilled workers, including pilots and maintenance workers, have left.

The plight of the unit was revealed during what was supposed to be a happy occasion – its 39th anniversary of operations.

Commanding officer Lt-Col John Matagarakikai said the despite the ATW’s lack of capacity owing to funding constraints the men and women were enthusiastic and stood ready to meet the core object of their existence.

“We are seriously at a crossroad. We have a 20-year capability gap in terms of pilots and maintenance personnel,” he was reported saying during a parade to mark the 39th anniversary of the ATW.

And the men and women ought to be commended for being able to maintain the operations of the ATW, however limited, so it does not exist only in name.

The continued operations of the ATW are partly due to the support of the Australian Government through infrastructure development and aviation expertise, the commander officer reported.

Matagarakikai has in-house matters to sort out to ensure the ATW keeps up with the changes in the aviation sector.

The public service mentality and culture need to be changed drastically to embrace changes emerging in the aviation industry.

“We have to be innovative and flexible in our work in order to progress further,” he told his charges on Tuesday.

Yet in the years of its struggles – whether it be insufficient funding or the continued loss of valuable personnel, the core of the force has remained intact and served both the military and the civil agencies of state.

Some of the achievements and contributions of the ATW were highlighted during the anniversary parade at their Jackson’s airport premises on Tuesday.

Such contributions include the operations during the PNGDF’s engagement in Vanuatu to quell an uprising in the country shortly before its independence.

The ATW was involved in the Bougainville conflict and during disaster relief efforts in Oro in 2005 and 2006.

There is no question therefore that the largely neglected little air operations at 8-Mile is a vital institution whose usefulness unfortunately only comes to the fore in times of crisis, and it needs all the money it can get.

As in most such instances, the people behind the money decisions are usually not well-acquainted with the operations of the ATW and its requirements.

While the state is unable to provide funding and all other necessary support for the ATW, the highly trained and specialised personnel cannot be expected to wait around and hope for things to improve.

The growing aviation industry as a direct result of the major extractive industry developments is a door wide open for such people.  

And they have walked out on a military unit that fails to keep them occupied and reward them with employment benefits as well as challenges and opportunities to advance themselves.

If the ATW continues to get the low priority treatment it had been receiving since its inception then what is the point of having an air element within the PNG Defence Force?

After all, a fast-growing economy such as PNG should be able to sustain a small and effective air force with a fleet of modern military planes and highly-skilled personnel such as pilots and engineers who are well looked after.