Papua New Guinea's national airline, Air Niugini, has received its first Airbus A220 aircraft after a delivery flight that spanned four days. The new aircraft was manufactured in Canada and delivered to the airline’s base in Port Moresby, covering more than 16,500 kilometers with stops in Vancouver, Honolulu, and Nadi.
The journey began at Mirabel International Airport in Montreal on September 11. According to FlightRadar24 data, the aircraft departed at 17:45 local time and landed in Vancouver nearly five hours later. The next morning, it continued to Honolulu before flying to Nadi, Fiji. The final leg brought the plane to Port Moresby Jacksons International Airport on September 15 at 10:30 local time. Although the total flight time was just over 23 hours across four flights, overnight layovers and crossing the International Date Line extended the trip to four days.
This delivery marks the first of eleven A220s scheduled for Air Niugini’s fleet expansion. The airline initially ordered six A220-100s in 2023 and added two more earlier this year. Additionally, three larger A220-300 models were leased from US-based Azorra; the recently delivered jet is one of these.