APNG Issues?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
APNG Issues?
So some happennings are as follows;
Around 6 or 7 "A" scale captains have been made redundant in the last 4 weeks. These guys are long serving guys, experienced pilots, that are now being deemed too 'expensive' so are being let go. They are not being offered lesser contracts. This is a disgrace.There are guys now with commands on the Dash 8's that used to be until recently FO's on the Otters. These guys have the absolute minimum requirements but come at absolute minimum wages. Experienced pilots are now deemed to be bad for business.
The Otters have been binned, sitting idle and have weeds growing up and around them.
The Dash 8's are in a constant state of repair and some pilots tell me 'falling apart', in their words.
I hear they have gotten rid of around 20 engineers recently, and they were the good ones.
One of the Board has pulled the pin. The Board member has never been known to stick around long if the company he is involved with is a basket case.
The CAA is oblivious to the whole charade and turning a blind eye. Interesting though that a potential 'merger' is back on the cards again.
My sources tell me that the CP and CEO have transferred the 'skills' they had at Skytrans into APNG and the past 12 months has seen in a decline in moral. It seems the MD has embarked on yet another 'profits' driven cost cutting exercise without thinking about the end results. And you wonder why the company has so many issues.
Good luck to the boys and girls up there, tough times ahead.
Around 6 or 7 "A" scale captains have been made redundant in the last 4 weeks. These guys are long serving guys, experienced pilots, that are now being deemed too 'expensive' so are being let go. They are not being offered lesser contracts. This is a disgrace.There are guys now with commands on the Dash 8's that used to be until recently FO's on the Otters. These guys have the absolute minimum requirements but come at absolute minimum wages. Experienced pilots are now deemed to be bad for business.
The Otters have been binned, sitting idle and have weeds growing up and around them.
The Dash 8's are in a constant state of repair and some pilots tell me 'falling apart', in their words.
I hear they have gotten rid of around 20 engineers recently, and they were the good ones.
One of the Board has pulled the pin. The Board member has never been known to stick around long if the company he is involved with is a basket case.
The CAA is oblivious to the whole charade and turning a blind eye. Interesting though that a potential 'merger' is back on the cards again.
My sources tell me that the CP and CEO have transferred the 'skills' they had at Skytrans into APNG and the past 12 months has seen in a decline in moral. It seems the MD has embarked on yet another 'profits' driven cost cutting exercise without thinking about the end results. And you wonder why the company has so many issues.
Good luck to the boys and girls up there, tough times ahead.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CJ,
Interesting. I has heard that PNG CASA has just renewed their AOC for another 2 years. Also hear they have just signed up for 12 brand new ATR-72-600's, as well as paying the deposit for all 12.
Certainly in my part of PNG times are very quiet and the Kina has tanked, so perhaps they are just doing what Qantas and everyone else around is also doing and making sure they remain profitable.
Interesting. I has heard that PNG CASA has just renewed their AOC for another 2 years. Also hear they have just signed up for 12 brand new ATR-72-600's, as well as paying the deposit for all 12.
Certainly in my part of PNG times are very quiet and the Kina has tanked, so perhaps they are just doing what Qantas and everyone else around is also doing and making sure they remain profitable.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Perth
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cactus you sound very much like a reporter or a troll just trying to fish info out. Maybe some truth to your statements but stinks of troll.
sackings and signed contracts and deposits payed for 12 ATR 72's....... nothing adds up and it aint rocket science
I call rubbish to most of this.
sackings and signed contracts and deposits payed for 12 ATR 72's....... nothing adds up and it aint rocket science
I call rubbish to most of this.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
vee tail, thanks for the laugh! I think you need to get your facts correct. There are two confirmed ATR's coming, not 12. As for the money, most of that is coming from the sale of 6 Dashies at it's sister company.
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ecuador with J.Assange
Age: 71
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cactus you really do hate the Wild Group don't you. The sad thing is you are pretty much spot on.
Let's hope they can pull themselves out of it-mire ,crap, for the pilots and PNG's sake.
The ATR's will happen, eventually, but then again they couldn't get a Cessna Citation on the register. But have Tropic Air got theirs up and going yet?
Difference is one is a charter organisation the other supposedly an Airline.
Gotta watch what you say on this site as I know they all monitor it.
Oh well gotta go organise my undies drawer.........
Let's hope they can pull themselves out of it-mire ,crap, for the pilots and PNG's sake.
The ATR's will happen, eventually, but then again they couldn't get a Cessna Citation on the register. But have Tropic Air got theirs up and going yet?
Difference is one is a charter organisation the other supposedly an Airline.
Gotta watch what you say on this site as I know they all monitor it.
Oh well gotta go organise my undies drawer.........
Last edited by Ret Sabala; 19th May 2014 at 04:40.
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: ML
Age: 37
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have it on very good authority that APNG have lost a number of big contracts (mining companies) that the Twotters were used to service and now they have no use for them so have/are selling them off.
Many pilots getting the 'move along' orders and the ones that were lucky enough to stay are getting upgrades to the Dash.
APNG seem to be in a bit of a restructure stage, trying to stem the bleeding as they say.
Many pilots getting the 'move along' orders and the ones that were lucky enough to stay are getting upgrades to the Dash.
APNG seem to be in a bit of a restructure stage, trying to stem the bleeding as they say.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Most of the companies real income came from the mining contracts. It generally was paid in currency other than Kina. Subsequently lose those contracts or they scale down (the ones you have got), meanwhile trying to compete on the RPT market against a government run, owned and funded airline and you have problems. Exacerbating that the Kina has dropped and other currencies appreciated against it=cash flow problems. Also you have an ageing fleet and a lack of everything particularly skilled engineers and parts, the engineers that are any good are overworked.
Then you have the logistical problems associated with PNG and well I'm glad I don't own the Airline. Ulcer city.
Most of the airframes have been sold and leased back. This presumably to raise cash for ongoing operations or pay down debt or to fund the leases on the ATR72.
The ATR72 will be for the only good contract they have left Exxon Mobil which will probably be due to commence in May 2015. They have signed a letter of intent on an ATR72 airframe or airframes, who knows how many. I believe the intention is to re-fleet with ATR's.
Tough times ahead for the boys and girls and a few more tears I suspect but a plan has been put in place and they are working to it.
CHEers.
Oh did I mention a board who want a return on the investment made when the Airline listed on the Pomsox.
Then you have the logistical problems associated with PNG and well I'm glad I don't own the Airline. Ulcer city.
Most of the airframes have been sold and leased back. This presumably to raise cash for ongoing operations or pay down debt or to fund the leases on the ATR72.
The ATR72 will be for the only good contract they have left Exxon Mobil which will probably be due to commence in May 2015. They have signed a letter of intent on an ATR72 airframe or airframes, who knows how many. I believe the intention is to re-fleet with ATR's.
Tough times ahead for the boys and girls and a few more tears I suspect but a plan has been put in place and they are working to it.
CHEers.
Oh did I mention a board who want a return on the investment made when the Airline listed on the Pomsox.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also you have an ageing fleet and a lack of everything particularly skilled engineers and parts, the engineers that are any good are overworked.
A lot of what is being quoted has coincidentally started happening ever since the ex Skytrans CEO took over the helm last year! Now Toomey may have left 'large shoes' that needed to be filled, but perhaps the current little CEO's feet truly don't fit the shoes so to speak? I mean Toomey had large airline experience, and went back to a large airline, but the current APNG CEO, well..........that's a different story
Oh did I mention a board who want a return on the investment made when the Airline listed on the Pomsox.
Groundhog Day? Dejavu? Karma? Who knows, but all you need to do is look at some of the current senior managemt structure and then take a look at what they left behind in Australia and you may just have yourself an answer?
Perhaps what is needed is for the Schoolteacher to come over and use one of her companies to teach management some mumbo jumbo (at a tidy fee of course!)?
Last edited by Cactusjack; 19th May 2014 at 06:44.
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Devonport Tasmania Australia
Posts: 1,837
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We carry 101 Airline "plates" we can issue tickets through IATA/BSP on and for a time carried the CG plate.
It was used several times but subsequently disappeared within the last 12 months.
Shame that as I have had quite a bit of traffic out of POM over the last month or so and CG was pricing better than most on more than one occasion.
That is revenue lost and to me it would seem to indicate bean counters pulling in every little cost despite losing traffic by doing so.
I could probably have booked via their website but that gives me uncertain control of the ticketing and dubious ability to modify the booking while my client is on the roll.
In the end Pixie got the business which I in no way begrudge but I would have liked to be able to offer my client the cheaper option and support the little guy. East-West syndrome I guess.
Accountants logic when under stress is not always logical.
best all
EWL
It was used several times but subsequently disappeared within the last 12 months.
Shame that as I have had quite a bit of traffic out of POM over the last month or so and CG was pricing better than most on more than one occasion.
That is revenue lost and to me it would seem to indicate bean counters pulling in every little cost despite losing traffic by doing so.
I could probably have booked via their website but that gives me uncertain control of the ticketing and dubious ability to modify the booking while my client is on the roll.
In the end Pixie got the business which I in no way begrudge but I would have liked to be able to offer my client the cheaper option and support the little guy. East-West syndrome I guess.
Accountants logic when under stress is not always logical.
best all
EWL
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ecuador with J.Assange
Age: 71
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CG101/100 became unviable when Qantaslink began operating Cairns to Port Moresby return AM and PM services, effectively putting an extra 280 seats a day into the market.
It made sense to roll over on that route and concentrate on the domestic operation in PNG.
Then the company only ran the service on a Friday evening Pom to Cairns to bring staff home for the weekend and returned on Saturday mostly empty except for a few hapless crew a bit of freight and a few passengers. On Sunday evening it returned to Cairns in much the same fashion to operate back on a Monday morning with the managers and crew to operate out of Moresby. It was somewhat constrained by the departure having to be 0700 so crew could have the day previous as a day off.
This eventually was stopped-after 18 months- as it was considered more economical to fly all staff and crew on the Qantas and Pixie services. Also the PNG customs cracked the darks when they realised all the crew were being carried as deadhead crew on the general declaration, thereby avoiding the quite considerable taxes.
As one manager once said, "we've have never made money on that run anyway."
Right; sock draw sorted; undies now.
BTW FarCu I am not a KIWI, sheeez give a bloke a break. I'm not even a scientist and have never studied Physics for that matter.
It made sense to roll over on that route and concentrate on the domestic operation in PNG.
Then the company only ran the service on a Friday evening Pom to Cairns to bring staff home for the weekend and returned on Saturday mostly empty except for a few hapless crew a bit of freight and a few passengers. On Sunday evening it returned to Cairns in much the same fashion to operate back on a Monday morning with the managers and crew to operate out of Moresby. It was somewhat constrained by the departure having to be 0700 so crew could have the day previous as a day off.
This eventually was stopped-after 18 months- as it was considered more economical to fly all staff and crew on the Qantas and Pixie services. Also the PNG customs cracked the darks when they realised all the crew were being carried as deadhead crew on the general declaration, thereby avoiding the quite considerable taxes.
As one manager once said, "we've have never made money on that run anyway."
Right; sock draw sorted; undies now.
BTW FarCu I am not a KIWI, sheeez give a bloke a break. I'm not even a scientist and have never studied Physics for that matter.
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YBBN
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
On the money to a point Craven and EWL. Frankly there is no place for accountants in MD, CEO or GM Roles in this industry (SMc is the exception). They look in the rear view,and tend to think vertically. Consider the historical performance of APNG and the Sister in OZ once the accountants assumed the reins. Both airlines performed very positively in the past under professional industry personnel. In key areas i.e. financially ,operationally, ethically and with tremendous staff morale.
APNG still has good managers they just aren't listened to. OZ has no managers as has been covered in many other threads.
APNG still has good managers they just aren't listened to. OZ has no managers as has been covered in many other threads.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 995
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Justa Dash, perhaps they should send the school teacher up there to fix things? Bring a little mumbo jumbo into the company 
What do you think Toodogs, agree?
What do you think Toodogs, agree?
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: The AUK
Age: 80
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Frankly there is no place for accountants in MD, CEO or GM Roles in this industry. Consider the historical performance of APNG and the Sister in OZ once the accountants assumed the reins. Both airlines performed very positively in the past under professional industry personnel. In key areas i.e. financially, operationally, ethically and with tremendous staff morale.
