Air Niugini locks in Auckland flights, mid-Q4 2026 start

By Andrew Curran.

Air Niugini has pressed the start button on its delayed Auckland services, announcing that the first of its three-times-weekly flights from Port Moresby will depart on November 17, 2026.

The airline had initially planned to launch the route earlier this year, filing schedules for a mid-June start before pushing the date back to early September and ultimately settling on November.

Air Niugini will be the sole operator on the Port Moresby (POM) – Auckland (AKL) route, having last served it in 1998. The airline said economic pressures arising from the Asian financial crisis prompted its decision to axe the service.

Now, Air Niugini is bullish about the route's prospects. In a media statement, the airline said renewed confidence in regional travel demand, together with strengthening economic, trade, tourism and people-to-people links between Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, had underpinned the decision to restart the route.

Air Niugini to deploy A220s on Auckland route next year

Initially, Air Niugini will operate the route with a B737-800 before switching to an A220-300 sometime next year.

The airline said the non-stop flights would halve travel times between Papua New Guinea and Auckland, which until now have required a transit stop, usually in Australia.

“The resumption of direct services to New Zealand marks a significant milestone in Air Niugini's network expansion strategy and reflects the airline's ongoing fleet renewal programme,” the Air Niugini statement said.

“The introduction of the A220 fleet has strengthened Air Niugini's operational capability, allowing the airline to boost domestic capacity and restore key international routes while meeting growing demand for travel across the Pacific.”

Another direct country connection for Papua New Guinea

Auckland becomes Air Niugini's 11th international destination and the eighth country that can be reached non-stop from Port Moresby.

Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker said the flights would particularly benefit expatriates living in Papua New Guinea, students travelling to New Zealand, and seasonal workers, who accounted for 22% of all Papua New Guinean nationals arriving at Auckland Airport during 2023/24.

Papua New Guinea also becomes Auckland's 23rd direct country connection and 39th international airport connection.

“Auckland has long been an important destination for Air Niugini, and we are proud to restore this direct connection after more than two decades,” said Air Niugini CEO Alan Milne.

Plans to develop Port Moresby as a connecting hub

Along with other regional carriers such as Solomon Airlines, Air Niugini is quietly seeking to position Port Moresby as a connecting hub for travel between the Southwest Pacific and Asia.

The Auckland flights are timed to “connect perfectly” with existing Air Niugini services to and from Hong Kong (HKG), Singapore (SIN), Manila (MNL) and Tokyo Narita (NRT).

Passengers arriving from Auckland will also be able to make convenient onward connections to Air Niugini's domestic network via Port Moresby.

Photo: Air Niugini

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com