Flight hiccup sees women’s team delayed

By PATRICIA KEAMO
A SINGAPORE-BOUND Air Niugini flight carrying the national women’s football team, among other passengers, returned to Port Moresby 50 minutes after take-off on Monday due to a technical fault.
Team coach Nicola Demaine told The National after landing at around 7pm on Monday that passengers were informed mid-air that the plane was returning to Jackson International Airport.
“We had just finished dinner when we noticed the plane on the screen was pointing the wrong way,” she said.
“Shortly after, they announced that we were turning back because of an issue with the flaps.”
Flaps are hinged parts that pilots adjust to increase the size of the wing surface. This changes the amount of force made by the wing.
Demaine confirmed that all members of the women’s team were fine, however, the flight was then cancelled and rescheduled to Tuesday (yesterday).
Attempts by The National to get a comment from Air Niugini regarding the matter were unsuccessful.
The team departed yesterday afternoon on the rescheduled flight for Singapore ahead of their opening fixture on Friday in a tri-nations series hosted by the Football Association of Singapore.
This will be the team’s first appearance on the international stage since the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa where they won their fifth gold in a row.
Demaine said the series was part of her side’s preparation towards the Oceania Football Confederation Women’s Nations Cup.
Apart from the Nations Cup, the team – ranked 49th among the Fifa member associations – are also looking to defend their title in next year’s Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.