One of the upcoming Boeing 787 operators I was most looking forward to flying has just canceled its order for the plane at the last minute. Not only that, but with the carrier’s current wide body aircraft expected to be retired soon, one wonders what the future holds…
The intent was that these two planes would replace the carrier’s two Boeing 767-300ERs, which are the wide body aircraft the airline currently flies. The 787 would represent a significant step up in terms of passenger experience, range, and also capacity, and it’s a plane some of us were excited to see.
What makes this even more noteworthy is that both of Air Niugini’s 767s are leased, and the leases are supposed to expire at the end of 2026, so that means the airline may no longer have any wide body aircraft. Now, given that the 767s are an average of over 30 years old, I imagine a lease extension is also possible, since I suspect the owners don’t have any super lucrative plans for these planes, other than to use them for parts. So we’ll see how this evolves.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
