Papua New Guinea carrier Air Niugini has taken delivery of its first Airbus A220, a -300 variant on lease from Azorra.
The delivery makes Air Niugini the 25th airline in the world to operate the A220, says Airbus.
After departing Airbus’s factory in Mirabel, Canada the aircraft will travel to Port Moresby via Vancouver, Honolulu, and Fiji.
The airline has direct orders for eight A220-100s, and will lease a trio of -300s from Azorra.
The carrier ordered six A220-100s in November 2023, and also secured leases to the three -300s from Azorra. In May, the carrier placed orders for an additional pair of A220-100s.
The A220s will replace the carrier’s aging Fokker fleet, which operate domestic routes. The type is also likely to eventually replace its Boeing 737-800s.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that the airline operates two Fokker 100s, three Fokker 70s, and three 737-800s.
In addition, the airline operates a pair of 767-300ERs, as well as one Dassault Falcon 900 private jet, and a single De Havilland Canada Dash-8 Q400.
