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GO7’s ticketing technology provides the ambitious airline serving Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region with solutions to scale distribution.
LONDON and MIAMI and TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – PNG Air, one of Papua New Guinea’s largest domestic carriers and the island nation’s “next-generation airline,” has partnered with GO7, a travel technology company committed to helping travel brands transform their operations by putting power back into their hands, to support the airline’s network growth through expanded distribution. With GO7’s W2 ticketing solution in place, PNG Air can activate ticketing capability in over 190 markets worldwide, accelerating revenue and market share growth from non-strategic markets.
While demand for domestic air travel within Papua New Guinea has traditionally been strong, its increasing appeal as an adventure and eco-tourism destination is driving international visitor traffic (more than 69K international arrivals in 2022). In addition, the country’s population has grown by nearly 2% each year, outpacing the global rate of 0.9% and further expanding the market for domestic travel. This combined international and domestic passenger volume makes expanding capacity and distribution capabilities a key priority for growth-minded airlines like PNG Air.
A comprehensive flight network positioned for growth
Operating 460 flights per week to 24 cities, PNG Air has the most comprehensive domestic network in Papua New Guinea. The airline is focused on rebuilding after the impacts of COVID to regain the scale and frequency it offered pre-pandemic. With international visitors increasingly choosing Papua New Guinea as a destination, these travelers will now, with the GO7 partnership, have the option of choosing PNG Air when planning their itinerary.
Empowering growth through relationships
PNG Air chose W2 as a partner due to its proven success in global BSP ticketing, with travel agent relationships PNG Air can’t currently reach. “For a regional carrier like PNG Air, GO7’s W2 ticketing solution is a key tool to help us expand our footprint, become competitive in all potential markets, and extend our principle of consumer-centricity to new audiences,” said Simon Pitt, Chief Commercial Officer of PNG Air. “GO7 is helping to optimize our GDS sales in non-strategic markets through its global reach, enabling travel agents all over the world to issue PNG Air fares on W2-365 documents, which our airline would not be able to achieve on its own.”
A new approach to expanding distribution
GO7’s W2 ticketing solution enables carriers to earn incremental revenue in non-core or underserved markets where participating in an IATA BSP (Billing and Settlement Plan) to facilitate payment is either unavailable or not cost-effective. With the support of the partnership, PNG Air now has access to an expanded distribution network – 100K+ IATA agencies across the globe can now book PNG Air flights and issue tickets via GDS. GO7’s W2 ticketing solution also removes a major barrier to entry for airlines launching operations in new markets: payments. By utilizing GO7’s existing BSP agreements in 190 markets, PNG Air can avoid the lengthy process of establishing agreements with credit card issuers in each country.
“Our ticketing solution enables PNG Air to expand its inventory distribution, making the airline’s comprehensive domestic network available for sale through the GDS channel across the globe,” said Peer Winter, Chief Distribution Officer of GO7. “This supports PNG Air in establishing itself as travel agents’ preferred carrier and the airline that can meet travelers’ needs when visiting Papua New Guinea.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
