Last week, AeroRoutes reported that Papua New Guinea’s flag carrier Air Niugini filed schedule for a route connecting the country’s capital Port Moresby with Tokyo Narita via Koror, the largest city in Palau. According to the report, the flights are scheduled to be operated twice a week from October 29, 2024, as follows:
- PX52 / Port Moresby – Koror / 12:00PM – 2:30PM / Tue, Sat
- PX52 / Koror – Tokyo Narita / 3:30PM – 8:10PM / Tue, Sat
- PX53 / Tokyo Narita – Koror / 9:20PM – 2:20AM+1 / Tue, Sat
- PX53 / Koror – Port Moresby / 3:20AM – 7:50AM / Wed, Sun
The flights will be operated using Air Niugini’s Boeing 737-800s equipped with 158 seats including 20 in business and 138 in economy class. It is not clear whether Air Niugini will also have fifth-freedom rights to transport passengers solely on the Tokyo Narita – Koror portion of the route.
While Air Niugini used to serve Tokyo non-stop from Port Moresby, the route was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Currently, there are no non-stop flights between the two cities. Similarly, while Delta Air Lines used to serve Koror out of Tokyo twice a week, that route was suspended in 2018.