Air Niugini Hosts Networking Event for agents

Air Niugini held a networking event for its travel and ticketing agents in Port Moresby last Thursday (18th May) to brief them on the latest plans and developments within the airline, the first face-to-face meeting since COVID.

The event also provided an opportunity for agents to discuss and ask questions about the airline products and anything relating to Air Niugini.

Apart from the agents in Port Moresby, there were also those who travelled in from Kieta, Madang, Lae and Goroka for the event.

Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Seddon thanked the fifty plus agents for attending the event and gave an update on the progress since he joined Air Niugini two months ago.

He highlighted several activities including re-fleeting, opportunities to improve customer service and airfares.

Mr Seddon said, “As part of longer-term efforts to reduce airfares, Air Niugini is introducing new and more fuel-efficient aircraft to our inventory. We will continue to effectively manage expenditure and ensure the successful integration of new aircraft and crew. We need more seats on more efficient aircraft, to help us to reduce airfares.”

This significant fleet replacement program will see the acquisition of 13 state of the art aircraft over the next five years, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Before that, Air Niugini will add two more Boeing 737-800 aircraft to the fleet as well as four Dash-8 Q400 turboprops. These aircraft will arrive by September.

 Mr Seddon said. “We will restore integrity in our schedule and confidence in our service. We are also strengthening our capacity and are actively recruiting pilots and cabin crew. Our plans also heavily depend on the development of domestic airport infrastructure – runways in some centres need to be strengthened and lengthened.” 

Since Mr Seddon joined, Air Niugini has commenced a skills enhancement program to improve customer service for all front-line employees including ground staff and cabin crew. 

Air Niugini has also established a leadership program with the first of many future airline leaders commencing the program shortly. 

“Air Niugini is committing K40m to training over the next 3 years. With this training, we are defining the winning competencies to make Air Niugini the best airline in the region. This is a very exciting time for Air Niugini, there is a lot to do, and I am very grateful to have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the management team to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead.” Mr Seddon said

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