Air Calédonie (TY, Nouméa Magenta) resumed scheduled flights to Ouvéa on September 10, 2026, more than six months after protests over its hub transfer from Nouméa Magenta to Nouméa La Tontouta prevented it from serving the Loyalty island.

The New Caledonian government said that the Banutr customary chiefdom had authorised the reopening of Ouvéa airport to Air Calédonie, allowing a progressive resumption of services.

However, on September 8, the Iaai customary coordination collective, representing Ouvéa's three larger chiefdoms, opposed the Banutr decision, saying it had not been collectively approved and maintaining that the blockade had not been lifted.

Air Calédonie moved its domestic operations from Magenta to La Tontouta on March 2, prompting protests and blockades at the aerodromes serving the Loyalty Islands and Île des Pins. In July, the New Caledonian government authorised Air Oceania (Nouméa Magenta) to operate scheduled services from Magenta to both islands from July 18 to September 30 to fill the gap left by Air Calédonie.

Air Calédonie had already resumed flights to Île des Pins and Lifou before returning to Ouvéa. Maré is now the only one of these island destinations where the carrier has yet to resume operations since the March blockades.