Air Niugini Now Has An Airbus A220 In Its Fleet

Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, and Airbus announced a fresh deal earlier this year, which essentially expanded the order book for the A220 aircraft. The first of the lot, an A220-300, is now with the airline. With that, Air Niugini became the 25^th global operator of the Airbus A220, now flying on five continents.

Christened “People’s Balus”, the first A220-300 for Air Niugini departed from the final assembly line in Mirabel for a delivery flight to Port Moresby. Scheduled stops before reaching its destination included Vancouver, Honolulu, and Fiji. The aircraft dons a special livery marking the 50^th anniversary of the Independence of Papua New Guinea. One hundred twenty painters used 11 distinct colours and an airbrushing technique to complete the livery.

Air Niugini has eleven Airbus A220 jets on order. Of them, eight A220-100s will be supplied directly by the European aircraft manufacturer, while the remaining three A220-300s have been leased from Azorra, a US-based aviation lessor.

The Airbus A220 is powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, delivering a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions per seat over the previous-generation jet. And as with all other Airbus aircraft, the A220 can operate with up to 50 per cent SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). By the end of the decade, the manufacturer aims to hit the 100 per cent mark.

Up until August 2025, Airbus had bagged over 940 orders for the A220 aircraft from more than 30 operators worldwide. Of them, more than 440 have been delivered.

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