26 May 2003

Youths in Papua New Guinea look for a free ride on the PM's plane

3:56 pm on 26 May 2003

Papua New Guinea press reports say more than 40 youths overpowered security at Kundiawa airport last week and rushed onto the prime minister's chartered aircraft in the hope of a free ride.

The Post-Courier says local youths wrongly assumed the flight was about to take off because some politicians had boarded the parked aircraft to use the toilet.

The Air Niugini Dash-8 aircraft had been flown to the highland town to return the late Chimbu Governor Father Louis Ambane.

Chartered flights in PNG are often considered fair game for a free ride.

Police had to remove the youths from the aircraft, which later flew the prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, and his delegation back to Port Moresby.