Ok Tedi Mining Limited has completed its first direct charter flight between Tabubil and Brisbane, establishing the Australian city as a new hub for the company's fly-in, fly-out workforce.
The inaugural flight departed Tabubil on September 4, 2026, marking a milestone in Ok Tedi's 42-year operating history and reducing travel time for employees and business partners travelling between its Western Province mining operations and Australia.
Ok Tedi managing director and chief executive officer Kedi Ilimbit said the direct service would eliminate three to four hours of airport delays and make travel more convenient for employees.
“It cuts off three to four hours of delays at airports and makes travel more convenient for our employees. It has been a successful inaugural flight, and I am very pleased,” Ilimbit said upon arrival in Brisbane.
He said the service would become the new hub for Ok Tedi's FIFO operations.
“After 42 years of operations, we have made it into Brisbane. This will become the new hub for Ok Tedi FIFO operations.”
The direct connection is expected to improve travel reliability and support workforce mobility between Australia and the Star Mountains mining operation in Western Province.
Ilimbit thanked charter operator Pacific Direct, the flight crew and Australian border, quarantine, customs and immigration authorities for facilitating the inaugural service.
The milestone comes ahead of Papua New Guinea's 51st Independence Anniversary and adds to Ok Tedi's international operating footprint, with the company maintaining a marketing and logistics facility in Brisbane.
Ok Tedi Mining Limited is a majority state-owned company operating an open-pit copper, gold and silver mine in Western Province. The company exports copper concentrate to smelters and refineries in Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, India and Germany.
The company has also expanded its growth strategy beyond Western Province through its acquisition of Gallipoli Exploration Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-listed Kingston Resources Limited, for the Misima mine in Milne Bay Province.
Ok Tedi's registered office and senior operational management are based in Tabubil, with a representative office in Port Moresby and its Brisbane marketing and logistics facility.
