Cobham wins aviation contract extension in Papua New Guinea

Cobham, the FTSE 250 defence and security technology group, has won a five-year contract extension in Papua New Guinea for its Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) aviation services to transport workers to remote mines.

The contract extension from Ok Tedi Mining, worth AUD$85m, will see Cobham run flights for over 800 passengers a week between the Tabubil mine site and other major centres, flying over half a million kilometres every year.

"This extension strengthens our 22-year relationship with OTML and its operation in Papua New Guinea," said Cobham's Chief Executive Officer Bob Murphy.

"We will also increase the number of aircraft we operate in the region from two to three Bombardier Dash 8 in early 2014, further enhancing our operations," he said.

Cobham, which has a market capitalisation of around £3.1bn, works in a variety of sectors including aviation services, satellite communications an defence electronics.