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South Asia Pacific

MAF New Zealand works primarily with MAF Australia in Papua New Guinea, North Australia (Arnhem Land), Cambodia, Indonesia (Aceh) and Timor Leste.

The headquarters for MAF South Asia Pacific is in Cairns, Queensland.

Aircraft engineering maintenance and overhaul services are nearby in Mareeba, Queensland.

Flight and engineering training is available through the Mission Aviation Course conducted at Lilydale in north east Melbourne

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea was one of MAF's first areas of operation and is the largest. Since 1951 it has provided essential air transport to isolated communities located in some of the most rugged terrain in the world. PNG's unique topography and poor infrastructure mean that MAF provides the only viable access to the outside world and the help and hope needed by many people in bush communities.

MAF's role has developed over 50 years from one of focusing on the support of expatriate missionaries to sustaining whole communities with its air link. It is meeting the needs of local church pastors, teachers, students and medical staff but is also critical to development of communities isolated by mountains, jungle and the absence of usable roads.

Communities in Remote Areas

Day to day and in times of emergency or crisis, MAF is a lifeline. Our aviation service includes medical evacuations, transport for mobile clinic personnel and teachers and the delivery of life-saving medicines, educational aides, essential supplies, trade goods, market produce, mail and building materials.

MAF is also the preferred (often the only) method of transport for aid agency personnel, government and business leaders into and out of bush communities. MAF flies pastors, Bible college students, mission workers and all sorts of local Christian organisations at heavily subsidised rates to enable them to function in a place where air transport is not a luxury, but a lifeline.

MAF's work in PNG is often life-saving. In 2003, MAF evacuated 480 sick or injured people from remote locations to medical centres and carried over 25 tons of medical supplies to remote clinics.

Mobile clinic teams are regularly flown to remote villages to carry out immunisation programs and treat hundreds of families for illnesses ranging from life-threatening diseases to minor infections.

MAF also transports communities' cash crops for sale in larger markets. Income earned from these sales enables purchasing of supplies to improve living standards.

During the coffee season MAF airlifts around 800 tonnes of coffee from the remote highlands to coffee buyers resulting in income flowing back to these communities to meet their needs.

The PNG Government has centralised secondary schools and offers boarding facilities to students who gain places at the schools. MAF contributes to the education of PNG citizens by flying students, their teachers and supplies to and from schools.

Churches and Missions

MAF continues to play a vital part in the work of churches and missions as they serve in isolated communities throughout PNG.

Donations from MAF supporters, enable us to carry church and mission workers at heavily subsidised rates.

The team of MAF international and national staff are active in ministry within their local churches and communities, in addition to their service with MAF. Resources like the "Jesus" film and discipleship training programmes are used to support these activities.

MAF Engineering and Flight Training

MAF undertakes the training of aircraft maintenance engineers through an apprenticeship programme of classroom and on-the-job training.

As a result of this scheme, a number of Papua New Guineans have qualified as Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.

MAF operates the only flying school in PNG. The MAF Flight Training Centre has trained 30 pilots to Commercial Pilot Licence standard and beyond. Graduates are flying successfully with MAF and with other air service operators in PNG. In 1999 the first female flying instructor to fully train in PNG completed instruction with the MAF Flight Training Centre.

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Arnhem Land, North Australia

MAF's operations in Arnhem Land in the remote Northern Territory of Australia developed from the pioneering aviation work of early Anglican and Methodist missionaries, which commenced in the mid-1930s.  MAF was invited to assume responsibility for this work in 1973.

MAF's vision in Arnhem Land is to provide a professional aviation service for those people living and working in the remote Aboriginal communities throughout East Arnhem Land, while at the same time being an effective Christian witness to those we live along side and serve.  MAF does this by positioning staff in communities across East Arnhem Land operating a combination of MAF bases and Aboriginal owned airlines.

MAF flies education, government, essential services, pastors and other personnel to and from the isolated communities.  MAF also transports medical personnel to outlying communities and patients in to hospital.  The Yolngu and Nunggubuyu (Aboriginal) people use MAF flights for shopping, selling arts and crafts and to attend traditional ceremonies and funerals.  MAF staff are sometimes involved with search operations when they arise. These include searching for lost boats, aircraft, and people over vast areas.

Cambodia

MAF has been operational in Cambodia since January 1995. Based in Phnom Penh MAF flies to all parts of the country including the remote northern provinces, enabling humanitarian groups, government and mission teams to have access to otherwise isolated regions for work.

The most frequent users of the service are groups involved in environmental protection. Because of reasonable subsidized cost, Christian humanitarian agency staff working with disadvantaged and minority groups in the provinces are able to use the services provided. These workers greatly appreciate MAF support for routine and emergency travel.

Other users of MAF service are involved with mine clearing, aid and development workers, translators, United Nations and international embassy personnel. On occasions, air to ground photography of forest resources is carried out for the Ministry of Environment.

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Ache, Indonesia

On Boxing Day 2004, a serious earthquake offshore from the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, resulted in the most devastating tsunami of modern times.

In response MAF immediately commenced work with three aircraft in the devastated region to assist in providing relief to devastated communities.

During the initial months MAF's work focussed on supporting Samaritan's Purse (water and shelter), Operation Blessing International (food and medical help) and the Indonesian Government when they requested flights.

Disaster Relief

During the height of the disaster each flight enabled the delivery of hundreds of boxes containing enough rice, sugar, canned fish and cooking oil to last one person two or three days. Within a month MAF's aircraft had assisted over 10,000 people. Many lives were saved in remote, hard to get to places as a result of MAF's work.

Current Operations

MAF aircraft at Meulaboh assist with long term reconstruction efforts, particularly in providing flights down the coast to hard to reach places such as the island of Nias. Such flights greatly assist other non-government aid agencies in helping to rebuild the lives of those in coastal communities in the region.  MAF will continue to service these partnerships, especially Samaritan's Purse who are rebuilding thousands of houses along the devastated coastline.

Timor Leste

Plans by MAF to establish an operational base in Timor Leste (formerly East Timor) remain a priority despite current civil unrest in and around the capital, Dili.

Proposals for an MAF family to relocate to Dili for several months to further the work of establishing a base have been delayed by political and security concerns.

MAF South Asia Pacific Chief Executive Bill Harding said plans to commence an aviation service in Timor Leste had not changed. He said delays resulting from localised unrest in the urban areas had merely postponed the launch date for operations and would provide more time to continue raising funds for the provision of equipment and personnel.

"We are just as committed now to providing an aviation service for the people of Timor Leste in remote areas as we were last year when we carried out the most recent surveys," said Mr Harding.

"If anything, the disruption to the general populous and the demonstrated need of the people for food, medical supplies and building materials (brought about by the latest unrest) has made us even more determined to provide assistance as soon as it is possible to do so.

"MAF has a proven track record of being able to help meet the needs of people in places where there has been civil disturbance or devastation caused by a natural disaster.

"Our ongoing role in the Indonesian province of Aceh in partnership with various aid agencies working to assist victims of the 2004 tsunami is evidence of the difference that MAF can make."

North Asia & Americas

MAF services in North Asia and the Americas are sponsored by MAF US and MAF Canada 

Africa

MAF services in Africa are sponsored by MAF UK and MAF Europe