From there, they can be flown to Port Moresby and other destinations.
Continuous strong northwest monsoonal winds experienced in East New Britain province last week were blowing volcanic ash from Mt. Tavurvur over Tokua Airport, forcing airport authorities to close the airport.
Nine Air Niugini flights into and out of Tokua were cancelled, leaving at least 400 passengers stranded.
Air Niugini said in a statement that the airspace over Tokua was being monitored and “any decision to resume flights would depend greatly on prevailing winds dispersing volcanic emission away from the aerodrome.”
Since the temporary closure of the Tokua Airport, Rabaul Shipping Ltd. has offered to ferry some, if not all, of the stranded passengers from Rabaul to Kavieng and vice-versa.
Managing director Peter Sharp said one of their vessels could do the trip to Kavieng departing Rabaul at 2 p.m. last Friday and arriving in Kavieng at 6 a.m. on the following day.
The vessel could then leave Kavieng with passengers stranded and arrive in Rabaul at about 4 a.m. yesterday morning.
Sharp suggested that all Air Niugini had to do was allocate three or four F100s from Port Moresby to Kavieng and return to Port Moresby direct.
He said all the stranded passengers could be re-ticketed and Air Niugini would pay Rabaul Shipping a fare per passenger, which would be reduced considering the humanitarian situation.
Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane and his wife Lady Kaludia, who were holidaying in East New Britain, were among passengers confirmed to fly back to Port Moresby.
The latest report on Mt. Tavurvur indicated that it was still erupting with intermittent light grey ash plumes and occasional forceful emissions of thick, dark grey ash plumes.
Rabaul Volcano Observatory assistant director Ima Itikarai said the plumes were richly ash-laden. Moderate to strong northwest winds were blowing the ash plumes toward the southeast over the sea and further downwind toward Tokua Airport.
