PNG Air Niugini Renews Heart Care Support

Air Niugini has renewed its long-standing commitment to helping children with heart disease in Papua New Guinea by signing a Corporate Responsibility Memorandum of Understanding with Operation Open Heart Foundation Inc., reinforcing a partnership that has been saving young lives for more than three decades.

PNG Air Niugini Renews Heart Care Support

The agreement secures the national airline's continued support in transporting medical teams, children requiring specialist treatment and their guardians, ensuring patients from remote parts of PNG can receive life-saving cardiac surgery at Port Moresby General Hospital.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Port Moresby on Thursday, marking another milestone in the relationship between the two organisations. Air Niugini has supported Operation Open Heart Foundation since the early 1990s by flying volunteer Australian cardiac specialists and essential medical equipment into the country during surgical missions.

The partnership has since expanded to include travel assistance for provincial cardiac screening teams visiting hospitals and health centres throughout the country to identify children needing urgent heart surgery. Those diagnosed with serious conditions are referred to Port Moresby for specialist treatment.

The agreement also formalises Air Niugini's continued provision of complimentary air travel for children diagnosed with heart disease and one accompanying guardian, helping remove the financial and geographical barriers many families face when seeking treatment.

Air Niugini Chief Executive Officer Alan Milne said the airline remained committed to ensuring children received the medical care they urgently needed regardless of where they lived.

"Air Niugini is proud to stand with Operation Open Heart Foundation in ensuring that children with heart conditions—no matter where they live—have a fair chance at life.

"As the national airline, we have a responsibility to support initiatives that strengthen the well-being of our people. This partnership reflects our commitment to connecting families to life-saving care, supporting medical teams who travel to remote provinces, and ensuring that no child is left behind because of distance or financial barriers.

"We are honoured to play our part in helping Papua New Guinean children access the cardiac treatment they urgently need. Air Niugini will continue to work closely with OOHF to ensure safe, timely, and compassionate travel support for all beneficiaries under this program."

Operation Open Heart Foundation Chairlady Kathy Johnston thanked the airline for its unwavering support over the years.

"Operation Open Heart Foundation expresses its deepest gratitude to Air Niugini for its unwavering support over the years. This partnership is enabling hundreds of children to be screened, diagnosed, and transported for life-saving surgery.

"By formalising this collaboration, we are strengthening a national effort that brings hope to families who often face overwhelming challenges. Air Niugini's generosity ensures that children from remote provinces can travel safely to Port Moresby for surgery, and that our clinicians can reach communities where early detection saves lives.

"This MOU is more than an agreement—it is a shared commitment to giving every child with heart disease the chance to grow, thrive, and live a full life."