Trouble in Paradise

There is serious trouble for Vanuatu and Bauerfield International Airport Port Vila.

Yesterday Air New Zealand announced it was suspending its once weekly AKL-VLI service and cancelling its codeshare on Air Vanuatu flights due to the deteriorating condition of the airport runway. Further video from 3news.co.nz HERE

Today Qantas have announced they too are cancelling their codeshares on Air Vanuatu flights from VLI to BNE & SYD.

Virgin Australia have announced they are sending safety experts to Vanuatu this weekend to assess the situation and it is expected they too will suspend their BNE-VLI flights.

This leaves Fiji Airways and Aircalin & Flysolomons (Solomon Airlines) as the remaining international operators as well as local airline Air Vanuatu, but for how long?.

Air Vanuatu itself is experiencing issues, in November they farewelled their B738 YJ-AV1 after its lease ended, its replacement is due at the end of January with uplift in the interim covered by the dry lease of Transavia Airways B738 PH-HSA. However PH-HSA hasn't flown since 21 January 2016 with B738 services having been cancelled and B733s VH-YNU & VH-PNI of Nauru Airlines covering some services.

Asian carriers enter the Tasman battle

Singapore Airlines and Air Asia X set to join the locals, the LCC's, Emirates and some Chinese carriers in trans-taxman services.

For Malaysian LCC Air Asia X the announcement of the addition of an OOL-AKL-OOL tag to their existing KUL-OOL service, is a re-entry to the Tasman.  Previously they operated an OOL-CHC-OOL tag, however like many flights, this suffered and was ended as a result of low passenger numbers after the Christchurch earthquakes.

The new tag flight will operate daily with D70206 departing OOL at 08:40AEST (09:05) arriving in AKL at 16:00 NZDT (15:30NZST) and returning at 17:00 NZDT (17:30 NZST) arriving back into OOL at 17:25AEST (18:00) --> bracketed times are from the end of Daylight Saving in New Zealand OOL is in QLD which doesn't observe daylight savings.

Check out the announcement via Australian Aviation HERE

Singapore Airlines is set to launch a brand new service from SIN to WLG via CBR.  The new service will operate with the airlines A330 aircraft and will be their first service into the two capital cities. 

The new service will be 4x weekly with an announcement expected this week.

Check out the details (to date) on this service via the AFR HERE


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