Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, has signed a firm order with Airbus for a further two single-aisle aircraft.
Air Niugini A220 – Rendering, Airbus
The airline will add a further two A220-100 aircraft to its fleet. This follows an initial order in 2023 for six aircraft. In addition, the carrier has lease agreements signed for three A220-300s from US-based lessor Azorra.
The new order was disclosed as the first A220 for the airline entered final assembly at Airbus facilities in Mirabel in Canada.
The first A220 for Air Niugini – Image, Airbus
The additional Airbus A220s will offer up to 135 seats onboard (depending on the aircraft’s internal configuration), with a range of up to 3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km)
In Quotes
Gary Seddon, Chief Executive Officer of Air Niugini, said:
“The A220 is set to form the backbone of our domestic and regional fleet and will support economic development in Papua New Guinea. As we continue to forecast strong growth we have made the decision to increase our orders for this fuel efficient type, bringing a whole new level of efficiency and comfort for our operations.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business said:
“This is Air Niugini’s second order for the A220. We are committed to working closely with the airline as we support its fleet renewal programme. The A220 is quite simply the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a wider and spacious cabin and the range to fly non-stop to any destination on the carrier’s network.”
Preparing to replace older aircraft
Air Nigini operates a mixture of single-aisle aircraft, with Fokker 70, Fokker 100, DeHavilland of Canada Dash 8-300 and Dash 8-400, as well as three Boeing 737-800s.
Will the Airbus A220 family due to join airlines’ fleet, these will displace the existing Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 aircraft, whilst providing room for growth, filling up the 100 to 135/120 to 160 seater markets.
For Airbus, it’s another small, yet important win as they consider the next steps for the A220 programme.
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