Upgrading the service
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
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When Pope john Paul II wanted to fly from Papua New Guinea to Sydney last month, he chartered an Air Niugini A3lO Airbus - one of two operating as part of the airline’s fleet of 11 jets.
Air Niugini’s Public Relations Manager, Geoff McLaughlin, says the airline’s charter service is flourish ing.
“In December 1994, Air Niugini started operating highly successful charter flights from Japan to Port Moresby and more are planned in 1995,” he said.
During December and January, Air Niugini also started operating round-trip charter flights to Auckland from Port Moresby.
“We are now in a position to offer charter flights to other areas,” McLaughlin said. In addition to being avail able for charter, the 209-seater A3l Os also make regular scheduled flights to Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Manila - where they connect with major carriers, including Qantas, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific - with whom Air Niugini has developed a strong association.
In Papua New Guinea, Air Niugini is operating over 70 flights a day to 20 locations, including the major centres of Lae, Mt Hagen and Madang. There are now four flights daily to Tokua airport. The new airport is serving
Rabaul and the East New Britain Province after the vol canic eruptions of September.
Many of these flights will use the fleet’s new 74-seater F2B-4000, the latest model in the series. McLaughlin said this recent acquisition is part of an ongoing mod ernisation programme started in the late 1980 s by General Manager and Chief Executive Dieter Seefeld, who has recently been re-appointed for a further two years.
This updating process has seen the installation of new equipment, including a state-of-the-art computer sys tem which links the entire air transport industry in over 180 countries and territories; the opening of additional routes and the training of staff to international standards.
“For several years we have been developing Air Niugini into a modern, world-class airline offering a sophisticated niche carrier service in the Asia-Pacific region,” McLauglin says.
He believes Air Niugini’s strong links to business, par ticularly in the mining and manufacturing centres of Papua New Guinea, have placed the airline in a unique position. “Approximately 70 percent of our customers are business travellers - so we take great pride in under standing the needs of business people and offering them excellent service.”