Air Vanuatu targets fleet renewal amid A220 debacle

Tonga's Fly Niu set to acquire Lulutai - report

The Tongan government has given its initial consent to sell state-owned Lulutai Airlines (L8, Tongatapu) to the privately owned, albeit dormant carrier, Fly Niu Airlines (Tongatapu).

According to Kaniva News, the finalisation of the agreement will depend on its review by a newly installed government. If all goes according to plan, the two parties could complete the transaction in early 2022.

However, Matangi Tonga said Interim Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa's decision to offload the national carrier had raised concern over the future of domestic flights within the Tongan archipelago. Lulutai was founded to ensure such services after another privately-owned airline, Real Tonga Airlines (R4, Tongatapu), had failed to do so.

Fly Niu and Peau Vavau (3O, Tongatapu) had operated domestic air services in Tonga until the government introduced its one airline policy in 2004, resulting in Fly Niu losing its permit. The move effectively gave Peau Vava'u, an airline owned by Crown Prince Tupouto’a, a monopoly in the local market before it too collapsed in 2009.

Airbus's August 2021 order book changes revealed

Canada's West Wind, Transwest Air complete merger

West Wind Aviation (WEW, Saskatoon) and Transwest Air (4T, Prince Albert) have announced their rebranding as Rise Air (4T, Saskatoon), following their consolidation as one airline.

West Wind Group of Companies acting chief executive Stephen Smith said this followed the purchase in 2016 of Transwest Air by West Wind, resulting in one airline, now operating on the Transwest Air Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).

West Wind was now simply the owner of Snowbird Aviation Services, Northern Shield Helicopters, and Transwest Air, doing business as Rise Air. There are no operations under the West Wind name.

Explaining the motivation for the acquisition, he said the airlines had been competing head-to-head, neither making any money and that their consolidation would hopefully bring some “sanity into the market”. He believed neither would have survived the COVID-19 crisis had they not merged. With a 50% reduction in workforce, the airline was now rightsized for the market, he said.

The new name represented progress and positivity. “We’re moving forward in a positive direction, rising to the...

Gov't takes control of Air Vanuatu after sacking its board

The government of the Pacific island of Vanuatu has taken control of Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) after firing its board of directors in an effort to save the state-owned airline from bankruptcy.

“The situation of the airline is very, very critical, that’s why we took this decision,” Finance Minister Johnny Koanapo, said in an interview with Buzz FM Radio.

He said the country’s Council of Ministers on March 11 had terminated the tenure of the board with immediate effect following a decision last month by the state-owned airline’s shareholder representatives, which included the Prime Minister's office, and the Ministries of Finance, Trade, Public Utilities, and Tourism.

He confirmed that Chief Executive Officer Atu Finau remained in office to manage the airline, but the Ni-Vanuatu government had taken control of the Board and the Finance Ministry had taken over the financial control of the company, keeping close watch over spending.

He said the government intended to restructure and partially privatise the company to reduce its heavy reliance on state coffers, as was the case...