MAF - 70th Anniversary

Brief History

A smile on the face of the young mother on seeing her newborn child who nearly died in childbirth; relief in the eyes of the father who can finally send his son to school after weeks of waiting; cheers from the entire community as the ‘balus’ brings in precious food, water and shelter after the earthquake; gratitude of the farmer who can finally get his coffee beans into town and some much needed money in return; excitement of the work brigade as they unload the ‘walkabout’ sawmill and other tools for building a new school; tears in the eyes of the family whose beloved deceased we could bring back to their remote village; eternal hope that comes with receiving the Word of God in their heart language. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been bringing physical and spiritual hope and transformation to the remote communities of Papua New Guinea for the last 70 years.

From its humble beginnings in Madang in 1951, and the ultimate sacrifice by Harry Hartwig only a few months into operation, to the present day with a fleet of brand-new Cessna 208 Caravans, MAF has come a long way. At its peak, MAF had a footprint from the Western Province all the way to Bougainville. We have heard many stories from our beloved people of PNG, missionaries, and NGO partners about how MAF has served as their lifeline, impacting their communities, and improving their lives.

Over the years our fleet has changed, but our vision has remained the same: to see isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ’s name by sharing God’s love through aviation and technology.

Using our Cessna C208 Caravan aircraft we can overcome the physical barriers that prevent people in mainland Papua New Guinea from having access to healthcare, education, safe water, and the Gospel. We are bringing help, hope and healing to the isolated people of this country. As a team of around 100 national and 40 international staff, spread across 11 bases, we serve local communities, local churches, missionaries, NGOs, development and relief agencies, and government departments who are working to change the lives of those living in remote areas.