Fuel woes cut PX loads

 THE lack of fuel facilities at several domestic airports is restricting the number of passengers and cargo on Air Niugini flights to those destinations, the airline says.

Air Niugini chief operating officer Capt Daniel Wanma highlighted this during a meeting with representatives from the Vanimo Chamber of Commerce in Vanimo, West Sepik, last week.

He said the Vanimo, Manus, Tari, Mendi, Kundiawa and Wapenamanda airports lacked fuel facilities, which forced their aircraft to uplift extra fuel to return to base which limited the number of passengers and cargo on board. 

“Safety is very important … there is a requirement for everything to be weighed and balanced before the aircraft could fly … since some airports do not have fuel, we have to either cut down on the number of passengers or offload cargo. 

“This is one of the biggest challenges facing the airline,” Wanma said. 

He appealed to government authorities and the business sector in the affected provinces to consider ways to address the fuel issue.

Wanma was part of an airline management team, visiting ports serviced by the national airline.

Vanimo Chamber of Commerce president Bonny Leki said it was the first time for such a meeting to take place with the Air Niugini management and they looked forward to improved airline services to West Sepik.

“Constructive criticisms are good for the growth of any organisation and we thank Air Niugini for meeting us and giving us the opportunity to express our thoughts on the challenges to air travel here in Vanimo. 

“This is a step in the right direction and we are hopeful for better outcomes in the future,” Leki said.

The meeting discussed issues such as airfares, cargo and safety.

The port visit, which is an initiative of Air Niugini’s new chief executive officer Simon Foo, aims to discuss the airline’s operational issues and performance with the business sector in the affected provinces. 

It is also an opportunity for the airline management to hear first hand issues faced by provinces and see how best Air Niugini can address these challenges.

Since the visits started in February this year, the management team has seen Buka, Lae, Hagen, Goroka, Alotau, Wewak and Vanimo.