In the 1950s, air travel played an important role in linking the two halves of New Guinea, one administered by the Netherlands and the other by Australia. Although most airline services stayed within their own territories, there were a few notable cross-border connections.
One involved the Australian bush company Gibbes Sepik Airways, founded by former RAAF fighter ace Bobby Gibbes. The airline operated Noorduyn Norseman aircraft – developed by the Dutch-born American aircraft designer and manufacturer Robert Bernard Cornelis Noorduyn – and provided charter services across Papua and New Guinea. According to Dutch sources, Sepik Airways was at times contracted to fly into newly established airstrips in Dutch New Guinea, including the pioneering strip in the Baliem Valley. These flights were exceptional but important in opening up remote areas before regular Dutch services became available.
A second link came with De Kroonduif, the Dutch airline created in 1955 as a subsidiary of KLM. While its primary network was domestic, serving towns and settlements across Dutch New Guinea, in July 1959 it opened its first and only international route, from Hollandia to Lae in Australian New Guinea, the weekly service enden when Indonesia took over control of Netherlands New Guinea. This marked the only scheduled cross-border service between the two administrations.
These connections illustrate how aviation bridged colonial boundaries in New Guinea. They were limited in scope but highlight the practical cooperation that developed between Dutch and Australian authorities in a challenging and contested region.
Source: Besturen in Nederlands Nieuw Guinea 1945-1962
There are other pictures of Dutch planes in relation to Dutch New Guinea on the website of the late Geoff Goodall (collection now at the National Archives of Australia).
