Air Niugini has received the international airline licence for its Port Moresby–Auckland route, clearing the way for the return of non-stop passenger flights between Papua New Guinea and New Zealand after 26 years. The national carrier plans to begin the service on 17 November 2026, with three flights a week in each direction.
Department of Transport Secretary Mathew Wowoni presented the licence to Air Niugini Chief Executive Officer Alan Milne in Port Moresby on 9 November. Wowoni said the route would strengthen connections between the two countries and support trade, tourism and personal ties. It adds New Zealand to a network that already serves Australia and several Pacific island markets.
Three services a week
Flights from Port Moresby are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with return services leaving Auckland on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Air Niugini plans to use a Boeing 737-800 initially, before switching the route to its Airbus A220-300. The airline has linked the Auckland service to its wider fleet renewal and network expansion plans.
For travellers whose journeys begin or end in the two cities, the service removes the need to change planes en route. Milne said Auckland also fits the airline’s strategy of using Port Moresby as a hub. Passengers travelling beyond PNG will have options to connect to Australia’s east coast and to destinations elsewhere in the Pacific and Asia. That gives the airline a market beyond passengers travelling solely between PNG and New Zealand.
Milne said preparations for an international route extend from regulatory approvals and bilateral arrangements to ground handling, catering and logistics. He described the state approval as a critical part of that work. The three-day schedule gives businesses and tour operators regular departure options in both directions, while the planned aircraft change brings Auckland into Air Niugini’s transition to its newer fleet. The immediate milestone is the first scheduled departure from Port Moresby on Tuesday, 17 November.
