Air Niugini announces new schedules

BEGINNING next Wednesday, there will be changes to Air Niugini's international and domestic schedules, the airline says, The National reports.
This is to allow for the increase in frequencies and capacity of the international schedule to the high demand on domestic routes.
There will be an increase in capacity on the Port Moresby-Lae route, with five daily flights from Monday to Friday and four daily services on Saturday and Sunday.
Mt Hagen flights will increase to four daily during weekdays and three during weekends.
The Tabubil and Kiunga service on Monday and Tuesday will combine and the Wednesday service from Tabubil to Mt Hagen will be via Kiunga.
Other domestic schedule changes include the reinstatement of the Port Moresby-Rabaul-Kavieng service as reflected in flight numbers PX272 and PX273; renumbering of the Port Moresby-Popendetta flight to PX852/PX853; Port Moresby-Madang-Manus on Sunday and return on Wednesday is replaced by Port Moresby-Rabaul-Manus on Tuesday and back on Thursday.
These changes are made to connect with the Lae-Port Moresby and Port Moresby-Lae flights.
The Q400 services to Goroka, Gurney and Hoskins will be operated by the Dash8 300 series aircraft.
Air Niugini freighter service is reinstated in the revised schedule to provide the airline's corporate clients with efficient cargo movement.
The international schedule changes include as advised earlier the suspension of the Wednesday's service to Narita, Japan, leaving only the Saturday flight.
The Thursday flight to Hong Kong will operate on Wednesday while the return flight to Port Moresby will depart Hong Kong on Thursday morning with scheduled arrival into Port Moresby at 3.45pm.
The separate Sunday flights to Brisbane and Sydney will be combined and depart at 1.30pm while the return flight on Monday will operate directly from Sydney.
Brisbane will be serviced as per the current schedule.
The Thursday afternoon flight to Brisbane will be re-timed to an earlier departure at 3.30pm to allow Australian domestic connections.
The F100 service to Brisbane on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday will be withdrawn while services to Cairns to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday will be operated by the Q400.
Cairns overnight flights on Friday and Sunday will be operated by the Q400 aircraft.