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.
Air Niugini chief executive Alan Milne told ch-aviation that the carrier plans to use up to 30 airBaltic pilots under the agreement, below the up to 45 pilots airBaltic said could participate. The first pilots are due to arrive in Port Moresby as early as late September 2026 for four-week-on, four-week-off rotations. The arrangement is for an initial 12 months, with options to extend, and is expected to provide an average of five additional crew sets.
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.
Source: ch-aviation