- Airlink (Papua New Guinea)
Airlink was an
airline based inMadang ,Papua New Guinea that ceased operations in late July 2007 cite news|publisher= [http://www.thenational.com.pg/ The National] |url=http://www.thenational.com.pg/073107/nation6.htm |title=Business difficulties|accessdate=2007-07-31 ] . It provided high-frequency scheduled and charter services to outlying regions of Papua New Guinea. Its main base wasMadang Airport , with hubs atRabaul Airport ,Kavieng Airport ,Wewak International Airport andMount Hagen Airport .Flight International 27 March 2007]Code Data
*IATA Code: ND
History
The airline was established in
1989 and started scheduled operations in June1990 . It bought out the assets of Talair in the New Guinea Islands Region in October 1990. The company suffered considerable hardships due to the1994 Rabaul volcanic eruptions, including the loss of four aircraft.Accidents and incidents
* On
30 March ,2007 , an Airlink Embraer EMB-110-P1 Bandeirante carrying newspapers crashed inWest New Britain province between Gasmata and Kandrian. Both pilots were instantly killed whilst faulty maintenance is suspected.
* Two weeks later on13 April ,2007 , Airlink Flight P2ALK, aCessna 404 crashed on landing atGoroka Airport . The three women and the pilot onboard survived. The plane was in a holding pattern over the airport and waiting for low clouds to lift. Pilot error is believed to be the cause as the pilot proceeded to land in the wrong direction on a one-way strip and over-ran the runway.Airlink suffered two fatal crashes in 1999, when an Islander crashed near Hoskins in West New Britten Province, killing all aboard, and a couple of months later when a Embraer EMB-110-P1 Bandeirante flew into terrain on the Eastern approach to Goroka (again, pilot error).
hutdown
Airlink ceased operations on
27 July 2007 as a result of "business difficulties". It had 200 employees. The airline's operating licence had only been re-issued a few days earlier, after a period of suspension following two serious accidents in May. One plane had crashed inWest New Britain while a second had crashed on landing inGoroka . [ "Airlink closes down", [http://www.postcourier.com.pg/ Post Courier] ,30 July 2007 ]The loss of the airline was described as "sad and disappointing" by outgoing Madang Governor Sir Peter Barter, who said that the closure would affect the transport of people and cargo, including vital medical supplies.
Services
Airlink operated services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at January
2005 )Fact|date=April 2007:Bialla , Buka,Cape Orford ,Gasmata ,Gonalia ,Goroka , Hoskins,Jacquinot Bay ,Kandrian ,Kavieng , Kiunga,Lae ,Lihir Island ,Madang ,Mount Hagen ,Namatanai ,Nissan Island ,Port Moresby ,Rabaul , Tabubil,Tadji , Talasea,Tari ,Vanimo andWewak .Fleet
The Airlink fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at
March 2007 ):*1 ATR-42-320
*3 Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander
*6 Embraer EMB-110-P1 BandeirantePreviously operated
At January
2005 the airline also operated Fact|date=April 2007:- Cessna 402
- DHC6 - Twin Otter
External links
* [http://www.airlink.com.pg Airlink]
References
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