Ministers are finalizing: Flights between Papua New Guinea and Kiribati

kiribati_png_flights
kiribati_png_flights
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

The Kiribati Transport Ministerial is currently negotiating direct flights between Papua New Guinea and Kiribati.

Negotiations are currently underway at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby to have an agreement signed and put in place.

Agendas discussed this morning included a respective provision of draft PNG-Kiribati Air Services Agreement Text for mutual coherence and acceptance, and the identification of operating points for respective parties for mutual occurrence and acceptations.

The discussions are looking at possibilities of using Federated States of Micronesia as an intermediate under the agreement.

โ€œWhatever itโ€™s going to be, specific ones will be discussed between our two airlines,โ€ says Department of Transport Secretary, Roy Mumu.

Agreement documents will be signed by both countriesโ€™ ministers of transport following the discussion and outcome of the talks this morning.

So far, PNG has 14 air service agreements with various APEC economies, including our neighboring Pacific island countries like Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and of course Australia and New Zealand.

The most recent agreement signed between FSM that is currently facilitating two flights a week was engaged by Air Niugini.

โ€œFurther discussions will lead to a formal air service agreement signing, also the first of many dialogues to come; hopefully leading to something concrete that will enable and improve air connectivity with our Pacific island countries,โ€ said Mumu.

All specifics of the negotiation will be finalized tonight depending on the outcome of todayโ€™s negotiations with the air service delegates from Kiribati.

Meanwhile, acting director of civil aviation, Aako Teikake, thanked the Government of PNG for accepting Kiribati in developing the air services agreement, which will be essential for the expansion of Air Kiribatiโ€™s connectivity through the regime.

โ€œWe are hoping to have a very favorable and fruitful outcome,โ€ she said.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

Share to...