Aviation History
Papua New Guinea's extraordinarily mountainous, largely roadless terrain has made aviation an essential lifeline since the colonial era, when 1930s goldfields freight operations briefly made the territory one of the busiest air-cargo regions on Earth. Air Niugini was established in 1973, two years ahead of independence from Australia in 1975, and became the new nation's flag carrier, while a dense network of regional and missionary operators continues to connect remote highland communities with no other transport link. PNG's domestic aviation sector remains among the most airstrip-dense in the world relative to its population.
Guinea Airways' Junkers aircraft hauling equipment to the Bulolo goldfields make the Territory of New Guinea one of the busiest air-cargo regions on Earth relative to its size during the late 1930s.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) starts operations in Papua New Guinea, pioneering small-aircraft links to isolated highland communities that remain vital to this day.
Air Niugini is established as the territory's national airline commission, two years ahead of independence, initially with Qantas technical and managerial support.
Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia on September 16, and Air Niugini becomes the new nation's official flag carrier.
Talair, long PNG's dominant bush and regional carrier, ceases operations amid financial difficulty, reshaping the country's crucial remote air-access network.
Airlines PNG, the country's second major scheduled carrier, rebrands as PNG Air, continuing to serve PNG's extensive network of remote airstrips.
Air Niugini · PNG Air (formerly Airlines PNG) · Talair (historical) · Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)
Wikipedia, Air Niugini corporate history, aviation industry retrospectives