P2-WET lands in Kapikam met by excited locals (credit: Terry Fahey)

It’s been a year since MAF’s amphibious aircraft began operating in Lake Murray – Papua New Guinea’s largest lake. From enabling healthcare to delivering school supplies, hundreds of lives have been transformed for the better. We take a look at some of P2-WET’s achievements…

Following its transfer from Bangladesh and aircraft modifications, P2-WET has been hard at work in Papua New Guinea since October 2024.

Today, the floatplane – in partnership with the Sustainable Development PNG Programme (SDP) – is serving the isolated water communities of Western Province, especially in and around Lake Murray.

PNG’s largest lake spans some 250 square miles but has no access to any major roads, leaving it cut off from the rest of the country. Over 14,400 people live on Lake Murray’s many islands and around its shoreline (source: 2011 census).

Before P2-WET arrived, it would take up to five days by boat to access a hospital and essential supplies, but thanks to its water landing capabilities and speed, the floatplane can reach hospital in as little as ten minutes by air!

P2-WET can land on water – docked at Boboa Village station (credit: Aquila Matit)

The floatplane lands on water near Kapikam Village (credit: Terry Fahey)

Access to teachers

Esthel Babare is the head of Usukof Primary School and lives in the remote lakeside village of Usukof. She was the first passenger from her community to board the floatplane and fly to the nearest town of Kiunga:

‘Growing up, it was a struggle for us to get transport. People struggled to travel on the lake in the rain, wind and sun. When I needed stationery, it took me days to get these materials from Kiunga.

‘Now it’s very easy for us because the water plane comes right to our doorstep. School materials are now flown directly to the village and school matters are dealt with in Boboa or Kiunga as quickly as possible.

‘I can’t express my gratitude to MAF. It’s a brilliant idea to provide this service for us and I thank you for this golden opportunity.’

Esthel Babare, Head of Usukof Primary School & MAF passenger

School head Esthel Babare is 1st person from Usukof to use P2-WET (credit: Aquila Matit)

Without MAF, it takes five days to reach Kiunga by boat via the Fly River. The floatplane takes under half an hour!

Fellow teacher and Lake Murray resident, Duaman Kozap, teaches at Mougulu Secondary School in the Middle Fly district. He caught the floatplane from remote Boboa Village and flew to Kiunga before catching a connecting MAF flight (land plane) to Mougulu:

‘For those of us who work far away from Lake Murray, we usually depend on MAF’s land plane to get back home and now we have the floatplane too. This floatplane not only goes to Boboa, but also to other remote villages, picking up and dropping off passengers like me. It really helps. MAF is doing such a great job in Lake Murray.’

Teacher Duaman Kozap says MAF is doing ‘such a great job!’ (credit: Aquila Matit)

Delivering tech, coursework and exams

MAF also enables the Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE) programme to help isolated students – around Lake Murray and beyond – complete their basic education.

Due to harsh terrain and lack of roads in Western Province, many families were cut off and couldn’t get their children to school, so their education suffered.

Today, there is a FODE college near Lake Murray. With the support of MAF’s floatplane, students have access to tablets, course work and exam papers. Elizah Kevin, Head of FODE College in Lake Murray, explains how it works:

‘The course materials that they are going to be studying are all loaded onto the tablets. SDP and the Kokoda Track Foundation have facilitated solar equipment that allows students to have access to charging the tablets.’

Student Esther (R) benefits from the tablet delivered by P2-WET (credit: Aquila Matit)

Every student is supplied with a tablet and coursework, which are delivered by MAF. Lake Murray FODE student, Esther, is one of the recipients of the tablets:

‘All those course materials are inside. So, when they give us the assignments, we go through the process and answer the questions. We have been provided with everything we need for all the classes. It’s useful.’

According to FODE, half of the students are girls.

FODE is initiated and funded by the Sustainable Development PNG Programme (SDP) and implemented in partnership with the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF) in Western Province.

Boosting fishing communities

Thanks to MAF’s floatplane, Lake Murray fishermen can now sell their catch in town, which gives them access to a bigger market.

In just under half an hour, a fresh catch of barramundi (a type of sea bass) can be transported to the nearest town of Kiunga.

The alternative? A boat trip of up to five days, which would spoil their catch.

Floatplane pilot Chad Tilley transports barramundi to Kiunga Town (credit: Chad Tilley)

MAF pilot Chad Tilley – who has been flying the floatplane across Lake Murray since last October – is helping to transform the lives of fishermen and their families:

‘These extremely isolated communities rely on the floatplane for transport and community development.

‘I see a lot of passenger movement to and from the lake region to Kiunga. Locals bring a lot of fish – big barramundis. In some regions of PNG we fly coffee. Here, it’s fish.

‘When barramundis are flown by MAF’s floatplane to Kiunga to sell, it opens new opportunities for communities in Western Province. It empowers locals one catch at a time!’

Local fisherman Max Gom lives in Usukof on Lake Murray. Having access to a bigger market has substantially boosted his business:

‘I send my barramundi catch to Kiunga through the floatplane, where it is sold at a good price. This money helps me and my family sustain our living.’

Max Gom, fisherman & MAF passenger

Attracting trade around Lake Murray

Emmah Samika has set up shop in Maka on the banks of Lake Murray. She’s now getting her stock delivered by floatplane, and is taking advantage of the footfall generated by this new mode of transport.

Before the floatplane, Emmah had to trek for a week through the jungle just to buy stock:

‘Without an aircraft, we would have to walk to Aiambak and then to Kiunga through the jungle and back again. It’s difficult to bring store goods this distance. It takes us a week or even two weeks if there are children walking.’

Transporting goods by floatplane saves carrying them for a week! (credit: Aquila Matit)

Travelling by floatplane is far safer and quicker than a canoe or dinghy (credit: Terry Fahey)

Now the enterprising mother of five is successfully supporting her family in a fraction of the time with less effort:

‘Previously, there were only a few traders earning an income, but this never continued because of how difficult it was. It’s now easy for us to start trading because we have the floatplane here to serve us. We are happy that we don’t have to walk anymore.

‘I’m travelling to Kiunga to sort out my children’s schooling, then I’ll return to Maka on the floatplane. I will use this as an opportunity to buy my stock and return. I’ll start small with a few goods such as noodles and other food items, which will help me pay for my children’s school fees.

‘I want to serve my people. I am happy that my dream came true.’

The floatplane creates opportunities & lifestyle changes says Samson (credit: Aquila Matit)

Samson Doah – a bank agent and floatplane passenger from Usukof Village – has been supporting local traders like Emma by buying their products:

‘I have used the floatplane to travel to and from Kiunga for work. Traders receive money from us, which pay for their freight costs. They fly to Kiunga, buy goods and return by floatplane to run their small stores.

‘Their stores are a blessing to the community as we now eat rice, which we can buy after eating sago (starch from palm trees) after a very long time. We can also buy soap to wash and many other things.’

Transforming healthcare

SDP delivers healthcare to remote patients enabled by the floatplane (credit: Aquila Matit)

Thanks to MAF’s partnership with the Sustainable Development PNG Programme (SDP), 74 isolated communities across Western Province are now receiving healthcare via 12 ‘aerial health patrols’.

Aerial health patrols are when MAF flies medical teams to deliver lifesaving treatment, preventative healthcare and critical medical supplies to remote patients either via land plane or floatplane.

Critical medical supplies arrive at Boboa Station for remote clinics (credit: Aquila Matit)

Lake Murray and other water communities are served by floatplane. When residents of Boboa Village were suffering from dehydration, it was P2-WET which delivered 84 boxes of saline solution to treat them.

Kapikam Village needs MAF’s floatplane to get to hospital. Without it, it takes residents five days by boat to reach their nearest hospital in Kiunga. By air it takes just 22 minutes!

From Kapikam Village, it would take 5 days to reach hospital by boat (credit: Terry Fahey)

MAF floatplane pilot Chad Tilley explains the enormity of isolation for the people of Kapikam:

‘It’s difficult for these people to access services in the area and throughout the province.

‘To get to Boboa, where there is a basic health centre, is far and very difficult to travel by canoe. To get to the town of Kiunga, where there is a hospital, takes five days by boat. A flight takes 22 minutes.’

Chad Tilley, MAF floatplane pilot

Kapikam councillor, Kalia Poli, is thrilled by MAF’s floatplane service:

‘Before, when we had problems like snake or pig bites, and difficulties with women giving birth, we had difficulties getting to Boboa.

‘But now, me, my family and my community are so happy. This is the first of its kind in my community. People are so interested, everyone is here to see the plane land on the water.’

More work to be done

Thanks to the locals, Kapikam Station was easier to construct (credit: Aquila Matit)

Community engagement and hard work made construction of the floatplane docking station possible, says Erick Soman – Kapikam’s youth leader:

‘I am pleased with everyone in the community who has contributed to clearing the water landing site on the Kaiyam River and MAF’s efforts in this project. Everyone is happy.’

More docking stations will be built across Lake Murray & beyond (credit: Terry Fahey)

As more docking stations are built in the coming months, it’s hoped that P2-WET will eventually serve some 30 isolated water communities including Kushikino, Ushakov, Miwa, Magipopo and Maka, which don’t have access to any airstrips.

Kukujaba Village is now open for business (credit: Terry Fahey)

At the time of writing, new docking stations which have opened in the past year are Kukujaba, Kapikam, Maka, Magipopo, Usukof, Boboa, Miwa, Kusikina, Kasa, Levame, Kavianaga, Wanga Wanga,Bosset, Manda and Mipan.

Access to healthcare & education will transform future generations (credit: Aquila Matit)