Air Niugini: Cairns urged to back Hong Kong flights to prove worth

The Far North has been urged to not look at what might happen in the future and support the airline that has scrambled to come to our aid.

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BACKING Air Niugini to the hilt is the best way to prove the Far North is a viable and lucrative international destination for airlines to set up base.

Advance Cairns chief executive Nick Trompf urged the city to support the Cairns-Port Moresby-Hong Kong flights rather than focus on what may come down the track.

“The worst-case scenario for us is that it doesn’t continue after six months,” he said.

“We need to get that locked down before we worry too much about the next stage.”

Mr Trompf said Cathay Pacific’s exit was more a result of its own global economic pressures than the slightly weaker Cairns market.

“We’d love to have it replaced at some point,” he said.

“Now we want to build confidence of the supply chain and show that this solution works.”

The start of direct Cairns-Hong Kong Qantas freight flights could also be the start of something much bigger.

“If we are successful in securing the State Government’s ($10 million) export distribution centre, who knows what freight to Hong Kong might look like in the future,” Mr Trompf said.

Originally published as Air Niugini: Cairns urged to back Hong Kong flights to prove worth