Air Niugini (PX, Port Moresby) is facing a fleet shortage that has resulted in recurrent domestic flight cancellations and almost daily passenger backlogs, local newspaper The National reported. The airline has since restricted bookings on selected routes while working to clear the backlog of stranded passengers.

According to ch-aviation data, eight of the airline's 26 aircraft are inactive. These are one DHC-8-Q200, three DHC-8-300s, two DHC-8-Q400s, one F70, and one F100.

Chief executive Alan Milne told the paper that the next three A220-100s are due in August, September, and December 2027, primarily for domestic operations, to help alleviate the shortage. Air Niugini has eight A220-100s on firm order to replace its ageing F70 and F100 fleets.

Milne had previously told ch-aviation in an exclusive interview that a shortage of qualified pilots was limiting utilisation of the airline's three A220-300s, a problem it is addressing through pilot secondments from airBaltic (BT, Riga). The airline's A220s currently average around four hours of flying a day, and the arrival of experienced pilots from the Latvian carrier would help boost that to about 10 hours.

Moreover, airport infrastructure has further constrained domestic capacity. In September, runway rehabilitation works at Mount Hagen restricted Air Niugini to DHC-8-Q200 operations carrying a maximum of 18 passengers per flight, prompting the carrier to increase services to nearby Goroka.

The National Airports Corporation said on November 2 that Mount Hagen's usable runway had been extended from 980 to 1,190 metres, with a further 1,000 metres still to be completed. It aims to restore the full 2,190-metre runway by year-end to accommodate B737 and A220 operations.

Air Niugini's fleet comprises three A220-300s, three B737-800s, two B767-300ERs, four DHC-8-300s, two DHC-8-Q200s, one DHC-8-Q300, four DHC-8-Q400s, three F100s, three F70s, and one Falcon 900EX EASy.