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PNG Air celebrates 35 years

By Paul Oeka

One of Papua New Guinea’s leading airlines PNG Air has marked and is celebrating 2022 as its 35th anniversary year. PNG Air has been taking Papua New Guineans to their destinations since its initial beginnings as Milne Bay Airlines (MBA) right through to the airline’s transition to PNG Air for 35 years.

The Airline’s history dates back to the late 80s in the beautiful Island Province of Milne Bay. The company was established and started operations on June 30th, 1987, as Milne Bay Airlines (MBA) by founder Sir John Wild, a naturalized citizen of Papua New Guinea and an architect. Sir John Wild was also an avid and passionate aviator who owned an Amphibian aircraft which he was asked to provide a service to fly to and from the remotest and far-fetched parts of the islands in the Milne Bay province.

Now as the Airline Company looks ahead and celebrates 35 years of service to Papua New Guineans it also reflects on the tale of how a humble airline company that started with an amphibious aircraft in Milne Bay Province became a fully-fledged national carrier, flying over 500,000 passengers a year.

It’s a story of innovation – 35 years ago PNG Air began its journey when some of its first flights flew around the scattered Islands of Milne Bay under the Milne Bay Airlines (MBA) Brand to operate as one of PNG’s leading Airline carriers today.

In the years that followed after MBA’s establishment, the airline underwent its first major rebrand from Milne Bay Airlines to Milne Bay Airlines of PNG to focus on new opportunities, which also included chartered flights for the country’s resource sector.

In 2001 the airline was renamed Airlines PNG, boasting a fleet of 26 aircraft, and signifying a new era for the company’s future as it grew to be regarded as the people’s airline, providing affordable and value airfares. Within that period PNG Air also transitioned into a public company when entering the Port Moresby stock exchange. Since then, it has been governed by a seasoned and experienced Board of Directors.

Eventually, after 14 years as a fully-fledged commuter airline, the company signed a contract to acquire seven ATR 72-600 series aircraft, which gave way to the rebranding and launch of the company to PNG Air on November 5th, 2015.

As PNG Air embarks on the beginning of its next endeavors in conjunction with the anniversary the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Simon C Pitt said: “To commemorate this Milestone we’ve commissioned a special 35th anniversary Logo that will set the benchmark for all the activities we plan to do this year. The Logo is a representation of all the distinct elements of our livery, represented through the bird of Paradise”.

PNG Air 35th Anniversary Launching

The first airplanes under MBA Airlines

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Rural Regional Airports. This is to encourage and create business opportunities such as tourism, agriculture, and connectivity to boost economic growth and sustainability for our people in the rural and urban areas of PNG.

The proposed CADIP Phase 2 will commence after the successful closure of CADIP 1 which ended after the ADB’s Multi-Tranche Financial Facility (MFF) loan expired on the 24th of November 2021.

Under CADIP 1 several highimpact aviation infrastructures were successfully implemented through a series of tranches (Tranches 1, 2 & 3). Few projects that were not covered under CADIP 1 will be implemented in the second phase

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