Air Niugini turns to airBaltic for A220 pilots
Air Niugini (PX, Port Moresby) has entered into a cooperation agreement with airBaltic (BT, Riga) under which up to 45 airBaltic pilots may "voluntarily operate" Air Niugini's A220s from 2027, the Latvian carrier confirmed to ch-aviation.
In a September 10 press release, Air Niugini chief executive Alan Milne separately announced that 44 experienced airBaltic pilots would support its own A220 operations from next year, as the carrier seeks about 100 pilots for its future growth while continuing to train its own workforce.
Air Niugini's Airbus fleet currently comprises three dry-leased A220-300s and it has a further eight A220-100s on firm order. The latter are due for delivery between 2027 and 2029 and will directly replace the carrier's ageing F70s and F100s.
The pilot arrangement comes as airBaltic undergoes substantial network and fleet cuts, with the Latvian carrier announcing in August plans to reduce its A220-300 fleet from 54 aircraft to around 36 by the end of 2026, before gradually rebuilding it to around 40 by 2031.
Air Niugini disclosed the agreement four days before airBaltic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States on September 14. Two days later, the court granted interim approval for an initial EUR140 million euros (USD161 million) of a EUR350 million (USD404 million) debtor-in-possession financing facility.
airBaltic confirmed the pilot agreement to ch-aviation after the Chapter 11 filing, though it did not clarify whether the restructuring had changed the terms of the cooperation. ch-aviation has similarly reached out to Air Niugini for comment.
