Moresby same-day return in new offer

BUSINESS travellers and passengers headed to Fiji or the Solomon Islands are set to benefit from an extra flight on Air Niugini’s key route between Cairns and Port Moresby.

The Papua New Guineanbased airline has announced an adjusted schedule that will give business travellers the opportunity to make a same-day return trip to Port Moresby from Cairns on Fridays.

Air Niugini managing director Alan Milne said the new schedule would also allow customers from Cairns to make same-day connections via Port Moresby to Honiara in the Solomon Islands and Nadi in Fiji from later this year.

“Air Niugini was the first overseas airline to service Cairns, and these latest new connections and same-day travel options demonstrate the airline’s long-term commitment to the Cairns region, and to our strategy of further developing air and trade links between North Queensland and PNG, and between Cairns and other Air Niugini destinations across Asia and the Pacific via our Port Moresby hub,” he said.

Earlier this year Mr Milne announced the airline was ready, willing and able to take over the Hong Kong passenger and freight route that will be left open when Cathay Pacific quits the Far North in October.

The additional service, effective from September 5, will leave Port Moresby for Cairns at 5pm Thursdays. It will depart Cairns at 6.30am Fridays, arriving in PNG at 7.55am.

The return flight leaves PNG at 5pm Fridays, touching down in Cairns at 6.25pm.

Mr Milne said the airline already offered same-day connections between Cairns and Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Chuuk, and Pohnpei.

The new schedule means Air Niugini will be operating 10 return services between Port Moresby and Cairns a week.

All services are operated by Fokker 70 jet aircraft.