MORE than 40 youths overpowered security at a Papua New Guinea airport and rushed on to the prime minister's chartered aircraft in the hope of taking a free ride.

The Air Niugini Dash-8 aircraft had just ferried the body of the late Chimbu Governor Fr Louis Ambane to the highlands airport of Kundiawa, where thousands had gathered on Friday to mourn the loss of the prominent PNG politician.

But when two politicians boarded the parked aircraft to use the toilet, it sparked a stampede by local youths who wrongly assumed the flight was about to take off.

The Post-Courier newspaper said the expensive 40-seater aircraft only narrowly avoided losing two of its doors as the opportunists overpowered security guards and Air Niugini staff.

Police had to forcibly remove the youths from the aircraft, which later flew Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his delegation back to Port Moresby.

... mmm, crickey !!!

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