THE KING MARKS THE 80th ANNIVERSARY OF MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP AND CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S INDEPENDENCE
RAF Northolt, West End Road, Ruislip
Thursday 3rd April 2025
The King will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) the humanitarian air operator, which flies to 14,000 remote destinations offering support to isolated communities. His Majesty will unveil the charity’s new Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft that will deliver aid to remote regions in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and meet members of the PNG community in celebration of their 50th anniversary of independence.
The international development organisation Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) was founded at the end of the Second World War by a group of RAF officers who wished to use the flight skills they had acquired in wartime to build a world in peace. Today, MAF flights deliver vital support including access to medicine, technology and education.
The Station Commander of RAF Northolt, Group Captain Jonathan Hough, will greet His Majesty on arrival for a visit to mark the charity’s 80th anniversary, before presenting the CEO of MAF, Donovan Palmer.
The King will join MAF staff, volunteers and guests in the hangar, including several staff members from PNG. The High Commissioner of PNG, Her Excellency Betty Palaso, will present members of the UK’s Papua New Guinean community, including some of the country’s Rugby League players, representing Castleford Tigers in the Super League, Judah Rimbu, Liam Horne, Sylvester Namo and Jeremiah Simbiken.
MAF CEO Donovan Palmer will address guests, before His Majesty is invited to unveil the new aircraft by opening the hangar door.
The King will view the new Cessna aeroplane, positioned next to a 1930s de Havilland Dragon Rapide bi-plane, the same model which was used by the charity to establish flight operations in Sudan in 1950, when missions were often conducted across uncharted territories with little more than a map and compass.
