A Renewed Flight Path Strengthens Ties as Qantas Returns to Port Moresby Ahead of the PNG Chiefs’ NRL Debut

(NEWS) SYDNEY, 2025-Dec-2 — /Travel PR News/ — Qantas will reconnect Sydney and Port Moresby from March 2026, reinstating a route that is expected to take on new significance as Papua New Guinea prepares to enter Australia’s premier rugby league competition in 2028. The twice-weekly Boeing 737 service, adding almost 35,000 seats annually, comes at a moment when sporting, cultural and economic ties between the two nations are deepening, with the forthcoming PNG NRL team—now officially named the PNG Chiefs—emerging as a major driver of cross-border travel.

The decision aligns with growing bilateral momentum. Both governments have recently committed to using rugby league as a vehicle to strengthen people-to-people links, youth engagement and regional development. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the establishment of a PNG NRL team as a “game-changer” in the Australia–PNG relationship—an initiative tied not only to shared passion for the sport but to broader cooperation in education, tourism, gender equality and regional prosperity. With PNG set to mark its 50th year of independence in 2025, the sporting partnership is seen as a meaningful symbol of the two countries’ shared history and strategic trust.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape has echoed this sentiment, emphasising that rugby league remains one of the nation’s most unifying cultural forces. His recent announcement of the PNG Chiefs name underscored its national significance, highlighting the country’s “thousand tribes” and ancient governance traditions led by both male and female chiefs—elements reflected in the team’s identity. Marape described the Chiefs as a symbol of unity and nationhood, representing Papua New Guinea’s diverse heritage as it steps into one of the world’s most competitive sporting leagues.

Against this backdrop, Qantas’ restored Sydney route is poised to play a practical and symbolic role, providing a direct conduit for fans, athletes, officials and business travellers. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace noted that preparations for PNG’s NRL entry are already driving increased travel, a trend expected to accelerate as the Chiefs begin competing across Australia’s major stadiums. The airline’s network approach—with daily Brisbane–Port Moresby flights complementing the restored Sydney link—offers PNG greater access to Australia’s largest gateway cities and onward connections across the region.

The Australian Government has welcomed the move, with Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite noting that the route strengthens the ties that sit at the heart of the Australia–PNG partnership, making it easier for families, students and sporting communities to travel and participate in what will become a historic sporting chapter for the Pacific.

Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton also highlighted the broader benefits, saying the reinstated service enhances connectivity, supports tourism and business flows, and reinforces longstanding cultural ties.

For Qantas, the return of the route also reconnects with a long lineage in Papua New Guinea dating back to the 1940s, when the airline operated aircraft out of Lae and later flew DC4 Skymasters via Port Moresby. With the reintroduction of the Sydney service—and as the PNG Chiefs prepare to represent the region on the world stage—the renewed link signals both a revival of historical aviation pathways and an investment in the growing partnership between the two nations.