Air Niugini commences services to Federated States of Micronesia
September 2, 2016
Air Niugini will commence twice weekly air services between Port Moresby and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) from 03rd December 2016.
To test the market, three special flights have been planned to operate to FSM before the scheduled passenger services commence.
The first of the three special flights operated yesterday( Thursday 01st September) from Port Moresby to Chuuk and later Pohnpei before returning to POM. It took 2hrs and 40 minutes to reach Chuuk and an hour across to Pohnpei before coming back to POM.
Most passengers on board the flight were Australian divers; about 50 of them who got off in Chuuk, the rest were individuals attending the Pacific Islands Forum(PIF) and businessmen based in Solomon Islands. The next special flight will operate on the 07th September to uplift delegation for PIF.
Once the scheduled passenger service comes into effect from December, Air Niugini will be operating two return air services a week, every Wednesdays and Saturdays from Port Moresby to Chuuk and Pohnpei. This also means, Air Niugini will be able to carry domestic passengers twice weekly between Pohnpei and Chuuk.
The establishment of direct commercial flights between PNG and FSM is a result of an Air Services Agreement between the Governments of Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia.
The direct service to FSM represents a major expansion of Air Niugini