General News
3 June, 2024
Up, up, and away to PNG
FLOATPLANE P2-WET made a splash with a final landing at Trinity Inlet in Cairns on Tuesday before heading to its humanitarian mission in Papua New Guinea to provide essential healthcare to remote communities.
After 18 months of maintenance and repairs at the Mission Aviation Fellowship International (MAF) facility at Mareeba, P2-WET performed its last test flights, landing at the Cairns marina in Trinity Inlet on Tuesday, ahead of its mission flying essential health workers and supplies into isolated communities in the Western Province of PNG.
The floatplane was built on a Cessna Caravan, outfitted with floats to be able to land on water, but it also has landing gear which gives it the versatility to land on runways.
MAF’s chief operating officer Norman Baker said P2-WET would offer respite to over 100 communities in PNG.
“We’re very excited because this plane is going to open up access to isolated communities in the western province in PNG. There’s more than 100 communities that are completely isolated and don’t have access to things like healthcare, education and other basic needs,” he said.
“This aircraft came from another program that we were operating in Bangladesh, and it was here getting refurbished and prepared for its service in PNG, and today it’s returned to service.
“We can now land on areas like rivers and have access to those communities. This way we provide our partners, several of them in PNG, with the ability to bring cargo, materials, and healthcare workers, coming in and out multiple times a day if necessary.
“Because of this service, organisations on the ground are able to provide the care and access to these communities.”
