Summary
- Solomon Airlines steps in to help Vanuatu with vital international connections.
- Solomon Airlines has a history of helping its Pacific neighbors during crises.
- Solomon Airlines introduces scheduled flights from Vanuatu to Auckland to provide much-needed capacity for travelers in the region.
Pacific Island nations always support each other in times of natural disasters or economic distress, so it’s no surprise that the Solomon Islands and its national carrier, Solomon Airlines, have stepped into the breach to help Vanuatu. On Friday, Solomon Airlines announced it would commence flights between Vanuatu and Auckland, bringing some vital international connectivity while Air Vanuatu remains in the hands of financial administrators with an uncertain future.
A history of helping
Solomon Airlines has worked closely with the Vanuatu government and relevant New Zealand authorities to keep an interim connection to Auckland from Port Vila open during the current crisis. The airline has also operated charter flights to ensure seasonal workers and stranded tourists could travel internationally since Air Vanuatu went into voluntary liquidation on May 9, 2024.
Photo: Solomon Airlines
Solomon Airlines (Solomons) has been in operation for more than sixty years and is one of the oldest airlines in the Pacific Region. Its Chief Executive Officer Sean Te’o said the airline is committed long-term to ensuring easy flight access for its people, visitors, friends, seasonal workers and corporate travelers who need to move within the region.
“Solomon Airlines is aware of the importance to many stakeholders of efficient and direct air services linking Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Zealand. The airline remains committed to working in partnership with the Vanuatu Government and current administrators to provide support while the current processes are being followed as the country works towards the return of its national carrier, Air Vanuatu.”
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Solomons previously operated flights on Mondays between the capital, Port Vila and Auckland, with a return the following day on behalf of Air Vanuatu as part of an extensive Pacific partnership between the two island carriers. That agreement included codesharing and supported the operations of Air Vanuatu, which was without its only Boeing 737 aircraft.
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Much-needed capacity to New Zealand
Solomons is now taking a step further to bring a degree of certainty to the situation by introducing scheduled weekly services from Vanuatu’s Port Vila Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) commencing on Monday, May 27. The airline anticipates twice-weekly flights between the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, Port Vila and Auckland Airport (AKL) from July 1, 2024.
Solomons Flight IE710 will operate from Port Vila on Mondays at 17:50 and arrive in Auckland at 22:05 using one of the two Airbus A320-200s, registrations H4-SAL and H4-SIB, in the airline’s fleet of six aircraft. It will depart Auckland as flight IE711 the following day at 12:00 and arrive in Vanuatu at 14:15. On May 20, the route was flown using the A320 registered H4-SAL, which was first delivered to Australia’s Jetstar in 2013 and joined SOL’s fleet in 2020.
Prior to that flight, the A320 had arrived in Vanuatu from Honiara International Airport (HIR), from where it operates regular flights to Australia’s Brisbane Airport (BNE) and Sydney Airport (SYD), and to Fiji Nadi International Airport (NAN), as well as domestically to Munda (MUA) in the Solomon Islands. According to ch-aviation, SOL has, in addition to the two A320s, one de Havilland Dash 8-100 and three De Havilland Twin Otter turboprops and is utilizing a Nauru Airlines Boeing 737-300 on a wet lease basis.
Last Monday, that Boeing 737-300, registration VH-XNU and MSN 25609, operated SOL flight IE701 from Brisbane to Honiara, departing at 10:02 and landing in Honiara at 14:02 after a three-hour flight. It later departed the Solomon Islands as flight IE700 at 15:14 and was back on the ground in Brisbane at 17:03. In the last week, it resumed a regular schedule of flights for Nauru Airlines to destinations including Sydney, Brisbane, Tarawa (Kiribati) and Pohnpei (Micronesia).
Have you flown with Solomon Airlines, and how was the experience? Let us know in the comments.