News
Air PNG orders six ATRs, Qantas updates livery
November 11th 2016
On Monday, Papua New Guinea’s PNG Air confirmed a $134 million conversion of five ATR 72-600 options into firm orders. Read More » The five turboprops, plus a sixth on lease, will arrive in Port Moresby from 2017 to 2022.
Formerly known as Airlines PNG, PNG Air signed for a firm order for six ATR 72-600s in 2014 and started operating their first -600 last November. Today, the commuter airline operates four -600s and will receive the fifth aircraft before the end of this year.
The carrier is undergoing an ambitious fleet renewal and rebranding with a new business strategy focused on the domestic market. PNG Air also is expanding into corporate transportation to support businesses that want to develop their natural resource activities in Papua New Guinea.
“We will progressively phase out our previous generation turboprops to introduce an aircraft that has become a reference on the regional market worldwide,” PNG Air CEO, Muralee Siva, said. “The robustness of our new ATR -600s, along with their ability to operate in remote areas, are great assets for the airline,” new ATR CEO, Christian Scherer, added.
In Australia, after unveiling a refreshed livery and logo last week, Qantas Airways this week said it would pause its A330 refurbishment program while it considers extending the leases on the last two jets still sporting the old interiors, Australian Aviation reported.
The two aircraft, both approximately ten-year-old A330-200s, are primarily used for Perth to Australia’s East Coast metropolises. Given the slump in the resources sector in Australia they may be excess to Qantas’ requirements.
Across the Tasman, Air New Zealand (Air NZ) faces fresh competition. Emirates Airline has started deploying its A380 superjumbo to Christchurch, while Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has begun flying its latest A350 XWB to Auckland.
Air NZ on Tuesday geared up on the MRO front when it signed a licensing agreement to overhaul and repair Honeywell Aerospace 131-9A auxiliary power units (APUs) for the A320 (ceo and neo) at its Christchurch engineering base; a facility available to third party customers.
Air NZ COO, Bruce Parton, said the agreement is significant for the airline’s MRO business and Honeywell Aerospace vice-president for airlines in the Asia-Pacific, Brian Davis, said “the agreement with Air New Zealand will allow us to help airlines in the region achieve time and cost savings with quicker turnaround by seeking support from the regional facility”.
Air NZ, a Star Alliance member, has 29 A320ceos, with another 12 A320neo Family aircraft on order from late 2017.
