Manolos Aviation Receives Certificate of Airworthiness for New Medevac Helicopter P2-ICU in Record Time - Lae , Morobe Province | 5 February , 2026

Manolos Aviation Limited has officially received the Certificate of Airworthiness for its newest helicopter, P2-ICU, named “DOKTA BOI”, following an inspection completed in a record of half-day timeframe.

CASA PNG presenting the Certificate for Airworthiness to Managing Director for Manolos Aviation last week in Lae after completing the inspection process.

The certificate was issued last week by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Papua New Guinea (CASA PNG), confirming that the aircraft is fit for service and approved for operational use. The inspection and certification process was led by Manolos Aviation’s Airworthiness and Maintenance Control Department, reflecting the organization's strong regulatory compliance and technical preparedness.

The expedited inspection highlights the high level of aircraft preparation, airworthiness standards, and documentation management undertaken by the engineering and airworthiness teams.

Completing the process within half a day is a notable achievement in the aviation sector and demonstrates the company’s strong safety and compliance culture and operational readiness.

The newly certified helicopter, P2-ICU, has been purpose-configured for medical evacuation, emergency response, and critical care transport. Its twin-engine capability and performance makes it well suited for operations across Papua New Guinea’s challenging terrain and remote communities.

Managing Director for Manolos Aviation, Mr. Jurgen Ruh said, the achievement reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to safety and service.

“Receiving the Certificate of Airworthiness for P2-ICU in such a short timeframe is a testament to the discipline, preparation, and professionalism of our team,” Mr. Ruh said.

“Every aspect of this aircraft was carefully managed because lives depend on it. This helicopter will significantly strengthen our ability to reach patients quickly, especially in remote locations.”

The team during time of inspection of the newly certified helicopter at Manolos Aviation base in Lae.

Based in Lae, Manolos Aviation operates one of Papua New Guinea’s leading helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), supporting health facilities, provincial authorities, and humanitarian partners. The addition of P2-ICU further strengthens response capacity and helps reduce medical evacuation responses.

The HEMS are done through it's incorporated arm; Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) Foundation. MAMA Foundation provides HEMS for partner districts, provincial health authorities, the public and private sectors, basically, supporting the provision and extension of health services to rural Papua New Guinea, mostly that are inaccessible by road.

MAMA Foundation's major corporate Sponsor is Trukai Industries Ltd, through their Community Service Program called the TruCare program. This partnership is based on an equipment purchase agreement, where Trukai commits to support the work of the MAMA Foundation through the purchase of equipment necessary to carryout medevacs throughout Papua New Guinea.

Through that partnership, more than 100 successful medevac missions are done every year. Medevac missions are for critical patients who need urgent medical attention and hospital management. 40% are referrals from rural health facilities, and 59% are from remote villages that have no health facilities or health workers to assist. The 1% covers other medevacs  including ship-to-hospital patient transfer or urban hospital-to-urban hospital patient transfer.

Cases include Medical, Surgical, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Pediatrics.

Commercial and Compliance Manager, Ms. Nellie Tumai said, the rapid certification was the result of consistent adherence to regulatory requirements and internal quality systems standards.

“From a compliance perspective, this outcome reflects thorough conformity with CASA PNG requirements, including, aircraft equipment fit out, aircraft records, technical documentation, and safety systems,” Ms. Tumai said.

“Completing the airworthiness inspection in half a day demonstrates that all regulatory and technical controls were already in place."

The certification of P2-ICU - DOKTA BOI, reinforces the company’s commitment to safety, regulatory integrity, and service to the people of not just Morobe Province, but Papua New Guinea as whole.