AIR Niugini has restored direct flights between Port Moresby and Tokyo’s Narita airport, reopening a route that first linked Papua New Guinea and Japan in 2018.
The service – suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic – aims to boost tourism, trade and investment ties between the two countries.
The inaugural restored service, PX54, left Jacksons International Airport on July 18 and arrived in Narita.
Prime Minister James Marape welcomed the return of the route, calling it “far more than simply reopening an air route” and describing it as “a strategic investment in our nation’s future.”
Japan has long been one of Papua New Guinea’s most important development partners, supporting projects across infrastructure, fisheries, energy, agriculture, health, education and human resources, Marape said.
He said the resumption of direct flights would make travel easier for business travellers, tourists, investors and families, while also strengthening people-to-people links.
The route’s return revives a service that was first launched on September 1, 2018, when Air Niugini began direct Narita flights as part of a broader expansion into Asia.
The airline suspended the service in 2020 as international borders closed during the pandemic.
Marape said the restored connection would support Papua New Guinea’s tourism sector by drawing more visitors from Japan to the country’s biodiversity, marine environments, cultural attractions and World War Two heritage sites.
He also said it would help Papua New Guineans travelling to Japan for business, study, medical treatment, sport and family visits.
“Modern aviation is one of the engines of economic growth,” Marape said.
“Every new international route creates opportunities for investment, employment, exports, tourism and commerce.”
Marape said the renewed service fits with his government’s broader plan to position Papua New Guinea as a regional gateway and to attract more foreign direct investment into mining, petroleum, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, manufacturing, digital technology and tourism.
He also pointed to the redevelopment of Jacksons International Airport as part of the country’s aviation push, saying the upgrades would improve passenger experience, efficiency and safety as international traffic grows.
Marape said Papua New Guinea was also seeking stronger aviation links with other economies in Asia and the Middle East, including China, South Korea, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
“This is only the beginning,” he said, adding that stronger international connectivity would help support the country’s wider economic transformation agenda.
Air Niugini currently operates two direct flights per week between Port Moresby (POM) and Narita International Airport (NRT), Tokyo.
