Commercial air service in Pap­ua New Guinea has come to a virtual halt as the country’s only fuel supplier—Puma Energy— lost access to U.S. dollars to buy Jet-A on the international market due to a dispute with the central bank.

In a statement released Thursday, Air Niugini said the restriction ap­plies to all airports in Papua New Guinea, including its base in Port Moresby, forcing the airline to can­cel all domestic flights until Puma resumes fuel deliveries.

“We have done everything possible to ensure that this situation did not occur and that we could continue to support the people of Papua New Guinea especially as they return from their Christmas holidays,” said the state-owned carrier. “The airline can assure all our customers that we are completely up to date with our payments to Puma Energy and this regrettable situation is 100 percent outside the control of Air Niugini.

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Source: AIN Publication