U.S. Embassy to Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu

Location:  Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Event:  U.S. citizens who are presently in—or who can get to—Port Moresby and who wish to depart Papua New Guinea immediately are advised to read this message closely.

The U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby has been advised of seat availability on a potential charter flight from Port Moresby to Tokyo, Japan (Narita International Airport), from which U.S. citizens could secure their own onward commercial airfare to the United States.

The potential charter flight is being organized by ExxonMobil in coordination with Air Niugini.  It is not being organized by the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Government assumes no liability for the flight or any services provided by ExxonMobil or Air Niugini.

The proposed flight would depart Jacksons International Airport (POM), Port Moresby, early morning (likely o/a 5:00 am) on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, and would arrive at Narita International Airport (NRT), Tokyo, Japan, late morning on the same day, allowing sufficient time for U.S. citizens to connect with evening or next day flights from Tokyo to the United States.

Neither ExxonMobil nor the U.S. Embassy can provide ground or air transportation to Port Moresby or Jacksons International Airport from other parts of Papua New Guinea.

Ticketing will be done by Air Niugini at a pro-rated seat cost determined by total number of confirmed passengers.  The maximum estimated price for one economy seat is approximately 4,200 USD, but the actual price will depend on the total number of passengers.

Limited business class seats may also be available at an estimated price of 10,000 USD.

In addition to the cost of seating on the charter flight, commercial airfare from Tokyo to the United States and associated visas, hotels, and/or ground transportation in Japan, if applicable, would be the sole responsibility of each traveler.

Several commercial air connections from Tokyo may be available, including:

• Narita (NRT) – San Francisco (SFO), United Airlines, UA838 – 5:00 pm departure
• Narita (NRT) – Los Angeles (LAX), All Nippon Airways, NH6 – 5:05 pm departure
• Haneda (HND) – Dallas (DFW), Japan Airlines, JL12, 10:55hrs departure (would require an overnight stay in Tokyo)

In addition to normal travel requirements, passengers may be asked to attest recent travel history (within the past 14 days) and report information on their health status at the time of boarding.  Health screenings may also be conducted by health or airport authorities.

U.S. citizens are advised that additional travel restrictions or flight cancellations may be announced or go into effect with little or no notice.

U.S. citizens who are presently in—or who can get to—Port Moresby and who wish to take advantage of this potential option to depart Papua New Guinea immediately are advised to provide the following information to ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov and place “Tokyo Charter” in the subject line.

You must provide all information and provide it in the format below—even if you have provided this same information to the Embassy in the past.

As soon as more information is available from ExxonMobil and Air Niugini, the U.S. Embassy will provide that information to U.S. citizens so that they may take additional action to secure seating.  Payment, ticketing, baggage handling, and all other services will be handled by Air Niugini.

The U.S. Embassy will provide additional information or a point of contact to U.S. citizens as soon as it is available; We will not send your information to ExxonMobil or to Air Niugini.

U.S. citizens who are able to secure seating on this charter flight are advised to secure onward commercial airfare to the United States before arriving in Tokyo.

The U.S. Embassy recognizes that not all U.S. citizens who wish to depart Papua New Guinea immediately will be able to take advantage of this opportunity.  Accordingly, we continue to work to address the unprecedented disruption in international commercial air options to depart Papua New Guinea en route to the United States.

Future updates, to the extent they are available, will be sent via STEP, as was this message.

Please Note:

• Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the U.S. Department of State is organizing the above-referenced charter flight.
• Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the Department of State assumes any liability for the flight itself or for any services provided by ExxonMobil or Air Niugini.
• The U.S. Embassy will not handle or accept payment for the above-referenced charter flight.
• We expect to have additional information for potential passengers within the next 24 hours and will provide that information as soon as possible to U.S. citizens who express interest per the instructions above.
• Once additional instructions or point of contact information is provided by the U.S. Embassy to U.S. citizens who have expressed interest, potential passengers will need to liaise directly with Air Niugini or ExxonMobil to request and make payment for their seating.
• In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the U.S. Embassy cannot and will not release your information to any third party without your express written consent.
• In the event that future evacuation assistance can be offered, only U.S. citizens and immediate family members are eligible to receive U.S. government support to return to the United States.
• Under U.S. law, travelers on any potential charter flight organized by the Department of State are responsible for paying the cost of their ticket, which may be higher than standard commercial fares.
• Space on any potential future charter flight may be limited and would be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis or based on medical or emergency need.

Actions to Take:

• Please review the above information and instructions carefully and, as needed, provide complete and accurate information for each data field.
• Consult with your airline or travel agent to try to find additional commercial options to the United States.
• Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
• For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
• Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
• Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
• Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s websiteon the latest travel restrictions to the United States.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Phone number:                        +675 321 2100

Email address:             ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov

Facebook:                    https://www.facebook.com/usembassyportmoresby/

Twitter:                       https://twitter.com/usembassypom?lang=en

U.S. State Department – Consular Affairs
+1 888 407 4747 or +1 202 501 4444

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