Solomons - Solomon Airlines (IE, Honiara) is managing multiple aircraft outages affecting both its domestic and international operations, including extended maintenance on its sole DHC-8-100, an overseas-stranded DHC-6-300, and major repairs to one of its two A320-200s, chief executive Matthew Findlay said in a column published on August 3, 2026.
The damaged A320-200 has prompted the carrier to wet lease an A319-100 from Skytrans Australia, as previously reported by ch-aviation.
"But the reality is that the repair itself is major. This situation has added a further, unplanned layer of pressure onto an airline already managing a very demanding environment," Findlay said.
Solomon Airlines has also returned one dry-leased DHC-6-300 to its lessor under an agreement that Findlay said the carrier could not change. He did not identify the aircraft in the column, but told ch-aviation in June that H4-NNP (msn 491) had been returned as part of a domestic fleet capacity realignment.
The operational disruptions come as Solomon Airlines reviews the composition and capacity of its fleet. Findlay told ch-aviation during IATA AGM in June that the carrier was discussing fleet optimisation with various partners and expected to make decisions by the end of 2026. The review covers both the number of aircraft required and their seating capacity.
At the time, Solomon Airlines continued to operate two DHC-6-300s, while H4-SIC (msn 470) was undergoing repairs at Honiara following a ground incident in 2024. Its sole DHC-8-100, H4-SOL (msn 289), has been undergoing planned maintenance since April.
Findlay said the airline's initial 100-day plan had evolved into a three-stage strategy titled "Survive, Thrive, Overdrive", which prioritises stabilising the carrier, improving its commercial performance, and subsequently pursuing growth.
The plan is being refined by the airline's board and management and is nearly complete. Solomon Airlines intends to roll it out following consultation with the Solomon Islands government, Findlay said.
