North Coast Aviation (Lae Nadzab) has curtailed its operations in the wake of a worsening avgas shortage. The Papua New Guinea-based charter operator's chief pilot, Captain Thomas Keindip, told EMTV news that unavailability of the product had been caused, in part, by the country's foreign currency crisis which has seen the Kina devalue almost 20% over the past eighteen months.
As such, the shortage of available greenbacks has impacted local operator's ability to import fuel from suppliers in Poland, he said. The airline has now calling on government to subsidize aviation fuel for operators in Papua New Guinea's more remote regions.
North Coast Aviation operates three Pacific Aerospace 750XLs and two BN-2s on passenger and cargo charter flights throughout Papua New Guinea - bush areas in particular.
