Welcome to the Pacific Islands aviation thread for 2019. Please continue to post your updates and to add your comments here.

Link to previous thread of 2018:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1382529

Nauru and Tonga airlines discuss cooperation oppertunties. I can't see how this will work a weekly fligh tonga to australia as Nauru airlines is actually an australian airline?

https://www.radionz.co.nz/international ... nt-venture

Where is the problem? Tongan Govt. will pay Nauru Airlines to operate the flight either on their own or as a Real Tonga Air flight.

Well if they pay up yes not problem for nauru airlines. I think don't they also serve solomon & espirito sante? But is the tonga market not already pretty much served by virgin?

I was reading that Samoa Airways are due to have a new aircraft in March and a second on June. The PM said the new aircraft will be larger than the existing B738 they are currently leasing, but I couldnt find anything about what the new aircraft will be - which seems a bit strange given March is only 2 months away. Any idea what they are going to be operating?

a7ala wrote:

I was reading that Samoa Airways are due to have a new aircraft in March and a second on June. The PM said the new aircraft will be larger than the existing B738 they are currently leasing, but I couldnt find anything about what the new aircraft will be - which seems a bit strange given March is only 2 months away. Any idea what they are going to be operating?

Heard it may be a 7M9.

oskarclare wrote:

a7ala wrote:

I was reading that Samoa Airways are due to have a new aircraft in March and a second on June. The PM said the new aircraft will be larger than the existing B738 they are currently leasing, but I couldnt find anything about what the new aircraft will be - which seems a bit strange given March is only 2 months away. Any idea what they are going to be operating?

Heard it may be a 7M9.

Yes it'll be a 737MAX9 which is waiting to be delivered from recently collapsed Danish airline Primera Air
(Apparantly already in Samoa Airways livery)

Does anybody know how PX’s Micronesian services are doing post-crash? I have yet to understand the rhyme or reason for these flights.

QuayWeeAir wrote:

oskarclare wrote:

a7ala wrote:

I was reading that Samoa Airways are due to have a new aircraft in March and a second on June. The PM said the new aircraft will be larger than the existing B738 they are currently leasing, but I couldnt find anything about what the new aircraft will be - which seems a bit strange given March is only 2 months away. Any idea what they are going to be operating?

Heard it may be a 7M9.

Yes it'll be a 737MAX9 which is waiting to be delivered from recently collapsed Danish airline Primera Air
(Apparantly already in Samoa Airways livery)

Have they made any announcements as to where the extra aircraft will be flying or will they be adding more to their existing AKL SYD BNE services?

a7ala wrote:

QuayWeeAir wrote:

oskarclare wrote:

Heard it may be a 7M9.

Yes it'll be a 737MAX9 which is waiting to be delivered from recently collapsed Danish airline Primera Air
(Apparantly already in Samoa Airways livery)

Have they made any announcements as to where the extra aircraft will be flying or will they be adding more to their existing AKL SYD BNE services?

Sources from Samoa Airways state that services to Wellington and Honolulu (Inconjuction with Fiji Airways) will commence once the new aircraft arrives. Flights to Melbourne were on the drawing page via intermediate points of either Tonga or Wellington however wouldve been vetoed by Virgin Australia/Australian Government in retaliation to Virgin Australia not being approved flights between Auckland & Apia by the Samoan Government.

QuayWeeAir wrote:

Sources from Samoa Airways state that services to Wellington and Honolulu (Inconjuction with Fiji Airways) will commence once the new aircraft arrives. Flights to Melbourne were on the drawing page via intermediate points of either Tonga or Wellington however wouldve been vetoed by Virgin Australia/Australian Government in retaliation to Virgin Australia not being approved flights between Auckland & Apia by the Samoan Government.

Thanks very much. I think Polynesian airlines used to fly an APW-TBU-WLG service in the early 2000's. Possibly they had to fly via TBU due to aircraft limitations from the WLG runway.

I presume with the MAX9 they wont be limited on a APW-WLG non stop.

I wonder why they would serve MEL indirectly? The MAX9 should have the range for a non stop?

a7ala wrote:

QuayWeeAir wrote:

Sources from Samoa Airways state that services to Wellington and Honolulu (Inconjuction with Fiji Airways) will commence once the new aircraft arrives. Flights to Melbourne were on the drawing page via intermediate points of either Tonga or Wellington however wouldve been vetoed by Virgin Australia/Australian Government in retaliation to Virgin Australia not being approved flights between Auckland & Apia by the Samoan Government.

Thanks very much. I think Polynesian airlines used to fly an APW-TBU-WLG service in the early 2000's. Possibly they had to fly via TBU due to aircraft limitations from the WLG runway.

I presume with the MAX9 they wont be limited on a APW-WLG non stop.

I wonder why they would serve MEL indirectly? The MAX9 should have the range for a non stop?

Actually, PH flew APW-TBU-WLG-MEL for a while. So MEL, if offered,would be a return, not a new destination.

Samoa Airways Signs New Boeing Deal...

http://www.samoaobserver.ws/en/17_01_20 ... g-deal.htm

Do Air Rarotonga have any plans for any new aircrafts soon ? For enlargment of services or replacement of old Aircraft ? How old is their Saab 340 ?

There has been a substantial increase of tourism to the Cook Islands in the last 10 years. The pressure on Rarotonga, Atiu and Aitutaki must be huge. Any plans for development of some of the other islands that does not see much tourism today ?

Air Nauru has a new website & schedule online. But didn't they want to fly to Guam? Looking forward on getting a Nauru Visa.

The Air Vanuatu A220 thread got me thinking, and I was about to open a new thread but then thought maybe just revive this thread and ask here:

What is the rationale between the international and domestic airlines of both New Caledonia and French Polynesia not being integrated into a single airline for each territory/overseas country (SB+TY and TN+VT), or at least working closer together? I get that in Noumea both SB and TY operate out of different airports, but in PPT that is not the case for TN and VT. All airlines are essentially government owned, so I do not see this as an issue.

It is often raised that the small airlines of the Pacific should work closer together to gain economies of scale and be able to compete better with NZ, QF and the likes, but different governments of course have different priorities (i.e. compete for the same tourism $), so if there is not even this kind of collaboration happening within one country under the ownership of the same government, how can this possibly work across borders? (It can't, in my view.)

devron wrote:

Air Nauru has a new website & schedule online. But didn't they want to fly to Guam? Looking forward on getting a Nauru Visa.

Apperently the want to fly to guam towards the end of the year.

Did real tonga airlines got a new plane? I just saw a plane that overflew me in Vava'u that wasn't their saab but I am not sure what is what looked old fashioned with the wings mounted far forward. Any idea.

devron wrote:

Did real tonga airlines got a new plane? I just saw a plane that overflew me in Vava'u that wasn't their saab but I am not sure what is what looked old fashioned with the wings mounted far forward. Any idea.

Can't speak to the Real Tonga side, but it is possible that you saw a Talofa Airways' Aerocommander 690 doing one of the PPG-TBU-PPG flights. They operate on Monday/Thursday from PPG side and with a Tuesday/Friday arrival/departure from TBU due to the international date line.

Nauru Airlines to wet-lease B737 capacity to Real Tonga

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news ... real-tonga

"Nauru Airlines and Real Tonga Airlines have entered a wet-lease arrangement under which the Nauru flag carrier will provide aircraft capacity for flights from Tongatapu to Nadi and Auckland Int'l, the airlines have revealed in a joint statement."

Was already posted above as there have been ongoing negotiations but not it seems final.

Fiji Airports Authority is closing Suva’s Nausori airport to jets while the runway etc are upgraded. FJ flights to/from SYD and AKL will be served through NAN with domestic transfers. FJ is the only airline affected. Takes effect from 26 July.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/393590/fiji-closes-suva-airport-to-jets

Aircalin has taken delivery of its first A330-900neo



https://twitter.com/Airbus/status/11562 ... 32896?s=20

qf789 wrote:

Aircalin has taken delivery of its first A330-900neo

What a beauty! Pretty impressive that this little airline will completely overhaul their fleet to all-neos within the next year. Now here's hoping that with the lower operational cost they will find a way for better fleet utilisation and more frequencies and maybe even new destinations. Wouldn't HKG 2-weekly be something? Or even TPE maybe.

PX to start POM-NAN flights from 5 September 19

https://twitter.com/PXPNG/status/115678 ... 13730?s=20

qf789 wrote:

Aircalin has taken delivery of its first A330-900neo



https://twitter.com/Airbus/status/11562 ... 32896?s=20

Saw her in NOU on Friday but was being rushed to my AKL flight so couldn’t get a pic. Good looking aircraft and the interior is a vast improvement judging by what the insight mag says. Speaking of which, their A320’s are very old-school.

The second Saab 340B Plus for Air Rarotonga due for delivery next month has had some ground tests in the last few days at Bangor, Maine as N365CL. It is ex Japan Air Commuter JA8642 (msn 365) and I believe it will be registered E5-EFS. Their other Saab 340B Plus is E5-SMW delivered in Jul 2018 and is ex Japan Air Commuter JA8649 (msn 368).

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n365cl

PA515

PA515 wrote:

The second Saab 340B Plus for Air Rarotonga due for delivery next month has had some ground tests in the last few days at Bangor, Maine as N365CL. It is ex Japan Air Commuter JA8642 (msn 365) and I believe it will be registered E5-EFS. Their other Saab 340B Plus is E5-SMW delivered in Jul 2018 and is ex Japan Air Commuter JA8649 (msn 368).

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n365cl

PA515

Reusing the same reg as their last one msn 49?

Please continue to post your updates and to add your comments in thread for 2020 which can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1437881

Thread will be locked.