Air Niugini’s first Airbus A220 begins 4-day journey from Mirabel to new home 

The first Airbus A220 to join the Air Niugini fleet has begun its four-day journey from Mirabel, Canada, to its new home in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 

The Airbus A220-300, registered P2-PGA, left Montreal Mirabel International Airport (YMX) on September 11, 2025, after Air Niugini took official delivery of the aircraft at the Mirabel Final Assembly Line facility. 

Around five hours after takeoff, the new jet arrived at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for the first scheduled stop on its long journey.  

According to Airbus, the A220-300 will also make stops at Honolulu and Fiji before its final flight to Port Moresby Jacksons Airport (POM).  

In a social media post on September 12, 2025, celebrating the anticipated arrival, Air Niugini wrote: “The wait is almost over! In just 3 days, our new Airbus A220 aircraft will be arriving — and we’re thrilled!” 

AirbusThe A220-300 is the first of three brand new aircraft leased to the airline by US-based Azorra.  

In a significant milestone for Airbus, Air Niugini has become the 25th global operator of the A220, which is now flying with carriers on five continents. 

The aircraft has been named ‘People’s Balus’ and has been decorated in a special livery to mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of Papua New Guinea.   

“The intricate design was brought to life by a dedicated Airbus team of 120 painters who worked to apply 11 distinct colors using a special airbrushing technique,” said an Airbus spokesperson.  

Fleet renewal to replace Fokker planes

Air Niugini is currently going through a fleet renewal process, with eight new A220-100s also on direct order with Airbus. The new A220s will replace Air Niugini’s Fokker aircraft.  

The national carrier of Papua New Guinea extended the initial order for six A220-100s to eight in May 2025.  

Air Niugini originally placed an order for six A220 aircraft in 2023, in addition to signing lease agreements for three A220-300s with Azorra.   

In May 2025, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business, said: “We are committed to working closely with the airline as we support its fleet renewal program. The A220 is quite simply the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a wider and spacious cabin and the range to fly non-stop to any destination on the carrier’s network.”   

The A220-100 serves the 100-135 seat market, while the larger A220-300 is tailored for the 120-160 seat segment. The Air Niugini A220-300 is configured to accommodate a total of 138 passengers. 

Powered by Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation GTF engines, currently the A220 can operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), 

As of the end of August 2025, Airbus has secured more than 940 orders for the A220 from over 30 customers and delivered over 440 aircraft.   

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