Air Niugini is facing a technical nightmare with both its Boeing 767 grounded in Brisbane. The airline is putting in all the efforts to restore its two widebody aircraft to full operational capacity.
After the aid of a team of engineers and technicians, one of the aircraft has been granted the authorization to leave Brisbane and has left for Hong Kong. The airline has confirmed that some spares have been secured from US and shipped overnight between June 23 and 24.
The airline is hoping for one of the grounded planes to resume operations soon. As for the other grounded aircraft, it will need engine replacement and the spare engine needs to be shipped to Brisbane.
The airline has faced its worst nightmare with the grounding of both planes, unavailability of spares and technical support impacting the airline’s operating capacity.
The passengers that were being booked on these flights are either being re-booked for refunded, the airline said.
Going ahead, Air Niugini is working closely with its industry partners to evaluate alternatives to rapidly restore capacity, including the possibility of wet leasing aircraft to substitute the grounded aircraft.
