Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) expects its sole ATR72-600, YJ-AV73 (msn 1358), to return to service by the end of February 2026, according to a report in the newspaper Vanuatu Daily Post.
YJ-AV73 has been grounded since August 2025 due to engine maintenance issues. Consequently, the airline reduced its flights and recently relied on wet-leased capacity from Air Calédonie to maintain critical domestic connections between Port Vila, Espiritu Santo, and Tanna.
The Vanuatu government approved VUV300 million vatu (USD2.5 million) in September 2025 to fund repairs for the ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprop and a DHC-6-300. The delay was previously attributed to a global shortage of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engines.
Air Vanuatu recently propped up its fleet with the arrival of its fourth DHC-6-300, YJ-AV15 (msn 481), in January. A second Twin Otter is scheduled to arrive in March. There have also been plans to acquire an ATR42 by 2030 to further expand domestic capacity.
ch-aviation fleets data shows that the carrier, which emerged from liquidation in 2024, operates a single ATR72-600 and three DHC-6-300s.
