Papua New Guinea and Palau signed Bilateral Air Service Agreement last week in Palau for Air Niugini, PNG’s designated International Airline to provide the required Air connectivity between the two countries under the Australian funded aid program.
This is following the initial discussion held in 2018 however due to Covid 19 pandemic, it was hampered until last year the two countries renegotiated.
The agreement was signed by the Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Walter Schnaubelt and his Palau counterpart, the Minister for Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang.
“I am happy to announce that flight routes under the Pacific Flights Program and awarded to Air Niugini to service, was received and approved by the Governments of our two countries and reflected through this Bilateral Air Service arrangement are: Port Moresby – Koror (Palau) -Port Moresby – Brisbane – Port Moresby, vice versa, and these routes are subsidized through the Aid program,” Minister Schnaubelt said.
“This bilateral Air Service Agreement is a move in the right direction not only for Palau but also for PNG in terms of promoting trade, commerce, tourism including people-to-people links,” he added.
Minister Schnaubelt will table this agreement again in Parliament for ratification. “Following the ratification process, PNG’s Minster of Foreign Affairs shall then exchange the Instrument of Ratification with the Government of the Republic of Palau notifying that PNG consented to be bound by the requirements under the PNG/PALAU Bilateral Air Service Agreement.”
Minister Schnaubelt is confident that through this bilateral Air Service arrangement, two countries can be able to achieve more, to continue to develop stronger relationships which includes other areas of mutual interests such as tourism and business opportunities.
