Security Concerns See PNG Air Axe Mendi Flights - Again

PNG Air has suspended flights to Mendi (MDU) after a security incident last week at the remote southern highlands airport.

The suspension comes only one month after flights to Mendi resumed. PNG Air had paused flights in December due to civil unrest (or, as one local newspaper put it, “politically motivated mayhem”) raising security concerns at the airport.

Since flights resumed, PNG Air has been serving the airport once per week from Port Moresby (POM) using a 36 passenger DHC-8-100. The Mendi flights mean residents do not have to travel to Mount Hagen (HGU), approximately 130 kilometres away.

“This (latest flight suspension) stems from an incident involving an individual who displayed intoxicated, disruptive and unruly behaviour towards our airport staff,” an April 27, 2025, post on PNG Air’s social media platforms reads.

“Aviation security protocol was violated when the individual allegedly, unlawfully, drove his vehicle into security-restricted areas and allegedly instigated an argument with the contract security personnel, which then escalated into a brawl.”

Some Mendi locals have a complex love-hate relationship with their airport. In 2018, supporters of a losing election candidate set fire to an Air Niugini Dash 8 at the airport and trashed airport facilities. The incident exposed serious flaws in the airport’s security and safety standards and the airport remain unserved for years afterwards.

However, PNG Air began flights to the airport in early 2024 after a substantial refurbishment, including a new terminal and improvements to the runway.

After last summer's flight pause, the airline resumed flights in mid-March after “extensive assessments” of the airport’s security situation.

This time around, the airline says the reinstatement of services to the province will “hinge on thorough evaluations conducted by the appropriate teams. Air services will only resume once all safety issues have been addressed.”

No other airline serves Mendi.