By Nelson Joe

Copyright postcourier

THE story of the Pacific Helicopters Limited is like a mirror reflecting Papua New Guinea’s journey as a nation over the years.

While September 16, 2025, saw the country turn 50, the Pacific Helicopters has marked its service for half a century.

In doing so, it has resolved to fly Papua New Guinea higher going forward, taking with it to new altitude the vision of late Malcolm Smith, the Australian military pilot who founded the first helicopter company in 1975, the year the country’s independence was declared.

His vision was simple: to set a benchmark for aviation and serve the people of Papua New Guinea, much of which can only be accessed through aviation due to its rugged terrain.

Chief executive officer, Edward Matane, described late Mal as more than a founder of the company.

“Mal was a visionary,” Mr Matane said.

“He believed aviation could transform lives and he showed us all what it means to serve Papua New Guinea with integrity and courage.”

The company has been living up to this vision ever since.

This has been on the back of its skilled pilot, supported by its engineers, ground crews and administration staff, who flew 148 helicopters in some of the most remote corners of the country in the last five decades, connecting industries, communities and people, as the Pacific Helicopters Ltd evolves from a single aircraft to the nation’s leading helicopter operator that has been relied on by local and international companies across extractive industry, construction, telecommunications and government services.

In the 2000s, the company positioned itself at the centre of the country’s oil and gas boom with 24 aircrafts, including the most technologically advanced helicopter of its time, the Airbus H145, all built for PNG’s most demanding environment and equipped with the power and versatility to deliver their service safely and efficiently.

Mr Matane attributed the company’s resilient growth to the people, clients, partners and other stakeholders and importantly the hard-working staff.

“Technology matters, but it’s our relationships and the skill, dedication and loyalty of the people behind the controls – our engineers, pilots and ground crews – that define us and give us the confidence to keep moving forward,” he said.

Women making up more than 20 per cent of the national workforce at Pacific Helicopters Ltd is the reality of late Mal often talking about them to be at the forefront, part of his broader vision inspired by an aviation company in Africa whose workforce is entirely women.

The tragic passing in 2021 of late Mal, who not only served the country in the skies but also on the ground as Eastern Highlands provincial Member of Parliament between 2002 and 2012, has not impacted on the company’s resolve to ensure the flow of services without disruption, charter clear career path for growth, invest more in developing local talent and reward ambitions with opportunities, all reflecting his love for the country that he committed his life to.

This is clear in his decision to bequeath his estate to the local communities.

Stepping up on this vision, the company last month unveiled a series of initiatives to help even more young nationals pursue this career path, including funding academic training for two of its apprentice engineers.

Part of this vision involves making Pacific Helicopters a diversified cultural workplace with more women at the forefront to provide diverse perspective, creative problem-solving and strong decision-making in pushing the boundaries, breaking the barriers and becoming resilient to challenges in connecting people, communities and fostering industries in remote places.

This part of his vision was inspired by an aviation company in Africa run entirely by women which, publication and audit supervisor, Mary Ray, said late Mal oftened spoke of his hope that one day more women would lead within Pacific Helicopters.

Today, that vision is a reality with women making up more than 20 percent of the national workforce serving across all areas of the business, making Pacific Helicopters a dynamic workplace.

Pacific’s success is measured not only in-flight hours or fleet upgrades, but in the relationships, it maintains with communities, clients and employees.

“It’s about continuous improvement and always finding ways to do things better,” Mr Matane said.

“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, where we’re heading and we know Mal would have been proud too.”