Air Vanuatu is an

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

with its head office in Air Vanuatu House,

Port Vila Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

. It is Vanuatu's national

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations. Histo ...

, formerly operating to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

and points in the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. Its main base is

Bauerfield International Airport Bauerfield International Airport () is an airport located in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The airport is relatively small in size, but its runway has the capability and length to accept jets up to the Airbus A330. It served as the hub for Vanuatu's flag ...

, Port Vila. In May 2024 operations ceased with the airline placed into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...

by the

Government of Vanuatu The politics of Vanuatu take place within the framework of a constitutional democracy. The constitution provides for a representative parliamentary system. The head of the Republic is an elected president. The prime minister of Vanuatu is the h ...

. Limited domestic services resumed in August 2024.

History

Foundation and early years

Air Vanuatu was established in 1981 after Vanuatu gained independence from the United Kingdom and France the previous year. The assistance of Ansett Airlines was sought, and a five-year agreement put in place for Ansett to provide aircraft and operating staff. Ansett also took a 40% stake in the new airline, the government of Vanuatu holding the other 60%. The first Air Vanuatu flight, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 owned and operated by Ansett, departed

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

for Port Vila on 5 September 1981.Reid, Gordon. "1988 Major Airline Directory", ''Australian Aviation'' magazine, No. 44, May/June 1988, p40. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., Weston Creek ACT. In May 1982 a

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating ...

Polynesian Airlines Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Samoa. The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International operations were tempor ...

replaced the DC-9; this was replaced in turn by an Ansett 737-200 in October 1985.Reid, Gordon. "1986 Major Airline Directory", ''Australian Aviation'' magazine, No. 33, July/August 1986, p39. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., Weston Creek ACT. In March 1986, the agreement with Ansett expired and was not renewed; this had the effect of grounding the airline. In 1987, the company was re-established with 100% ownership by the government of Vanuatu, after a new commercial agreement was signed with

Australian Airlines Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, serving Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all-economy, full-service international leisure carrier, and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qant ...

; weekly Sydney – Port Vila flights re-commenced on 19 December using a

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

chartered from Australian. Air Vanuatu subsequently bought the aircraft in 1989 and leased it back to Australian for use on that airline's network on days that it was not used by Air Vanuatu. In November 1992 the 727 was replaced by a

Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...

leased from Australian Airlines. The following year an

Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (English: ''pioneer'') is a Brazilian twin-turboprop light transport aircraft designed by Embraer for military and civil use. The EMB 110 was designed by the French engineer Max Holste; it had been designed in ...

was also leased from Australian, entering service that April to operate flights between Port Vila and

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

. The leases on both aircraft continued after Australian was taken over by

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

in October 1993, with the commercial agreement being rolled-over to Qantas as well.Reid, Gordon. "Major Airline Directory", ''Australian Aviation'' magazine, No. 96, May 1994, p75. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., Weston Creek ACT. Qantas would be deeply involved in the airline's operations for the rest of its existence; Air Vanuatu used the

Qantas Frequent Flyer Qantas Frequent Flyer is the frequent-flyer program of Australian flag carrier Qantas. Points are accrued based on distance flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class. Points are earned through members flying on Qantas, Oneworld and other par ...

program, while Qantas codeshared on Air Vanuatu's flights from Australia, and provided maintenance and pilot training services as well. Air Vanuatu terminated the lease on the Qantas Boeing 737-400 after it took delivery of its own

Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...

in April 1997. The same month Bandeirante services ceased when a

Saab 2000 The Saab 2000 is a twin-engined high-speed turboprop airliner built by Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It is designed to carry 50–58 passengers and able to cruise at a maximum speed of . Production took place in Linköping, Sweden. It ...

entered service.Reid, Gordon. "Major Airline Directory", ''Australian Aviation'' magazine, No. 150, May 1999, p50. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., Weston Creek ACT. The lease on the Saab 2000 was terminated in March 1999, and in June that year Air Vanuatu began using a

de Havilland Canada Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was bought by Boeing in 1986, then by Bombardier in 1992, then by Longv ...

from Vanuatu's government-owned domestic carrier Vanair on weekly services to Nouméa.

21st century

In April 2001 Air Vanuatu

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

with Vanair, however the merger was reversed only five months later. November 2003 an

ATR 42 The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR (aircraft manufacturer), ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aér ...

entered service for use on domestic routes in competition with Vanair. In September 2004, Air Vanuatu again merged with Vanair. In January 2008, Air Vanuatu replaced its Boeing 737-300 with a new

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

. Three

Harbin Y-12 The Harbin Y-12 ( zh, c=运-12, p=Yùn-12) is a high wing twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft built by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). It is the first Chinese-designed and produced aircraft to receive type certificate from the FAA in M ...

s were added to the fleet in early 2009, and in October the same year the airline took delivery of a new ATR 72–500 aircraft to replace its ATR 42. Four days after the ATR 72 arrived at Port Vila, the Board of Air Vanuatu was sacked and replaced by Directors General of various Vanuatu government ministries. The ATR 72 made its first revenue flight for Air Vanuatu on 8 November 2009. A second ATR 72–500 was delivered to the airline in November 2014. In 2016 the Harbin Y-12s were phased out and replaced by

de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...

s. In July 2020, Air Vanuatu announced a major set of changes for the airline due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. With the reshuffling of orders and the shrinking and localization of the management team, the CEO Derek Nice stepped down, being temporarily replaced by Joseph Laloyer, until a replacement could be found. This included delaying the delivery of the four

Airbus A220 The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (ACLP). It was originally developed by Bombardier Aviation and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launche ...

aircraft it had on order, and a strategic review of its network. In May 2024 the airline was placed into

with EY appointed as liquidator. Due to the collapse of Air Vanuatu, 1,458 Vanuatuan seasonal workers were left stranded in New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand Immigration New Zealand (; INZ), formerly the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS), is the agency within the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) that is responsible for border control, issuing travel visas and m ...

confirmed that it was working with employers to support the workers. The airline owed creditors US$74 million. At the time of being placed in administration, it had six aircraft and 441 employees across Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand. Its biggest aircraft, a leased

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

, was repossessed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. It had also been reported that only two of the airlines' aircraft remained operational, due to awaited maintenance for the remaining fleet, while the available financial information of the company was deemed "significantly out of date." On 22 May 2024,

Solomon Airlines Solomon Airlines is the flag carrier of Solomon Islands, based in Honiara. History Solomon Airlines was established in 1962 as a charter airline by Laurie Crowley. Crowley had a charter operation in Papua New Guinea with occasional charter fl ...

began weekly direct flights between

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

and

to fill the gap left by Air Vanuatu. In August 2024, limited domestic services resumed after an injection of funds by the Government of Vanuatu.

Destinations

Air Vanuatu McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 at Tullamarine

Domestic destinations

Air Vanuatu operated 28 domestic routes throughout the country. ;

Malampa Malampa is one of the six provinces of Vanuatu, located in the center of the country. It consists of three main islands: Malakula, Ambrym and Paama, and takes its name from the first syllable of their names. It includes a number of other islands ...

Craig Cove Craig may refer to: People and fictional characters *Craig (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Craig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Craig, a Scottish clan Places United State ...

( Craig Cove Airport) *

Lamap Lamap (former named ''Port Sandwich'') is a village in Malampa Province on the Malekula island in Vanuatu. Transportation The village is served by Lamap Airport Malekoula Airport , also known as Lamap Airport, is an airfield near Lamap on ...

(

Malekoula Island Airport Malekoula Airport , also known as Lamap Airport, is an airfield near Lamap on the island of Malekoula, in the Malampa province in Vanuatu. It is one of two airfields on the island, the other being Norsup Airport in the north. Facilities The a ...

) *

Norsup Norsup is a town on Malakula Island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, ...

(

Norsup Airport Norsup Airport is an airfield near Norsup on the island of Malakula, in the Malampa province in Vanuatu. It is one of three airfields on the island, the others being Lamap Airport and South West Bay in the south. Facilities The airport resi ...

) *

Paama Paama ( Paama language: VoumCrowley, Terry. (1982). ''The Paamese Language of Vanuatu. Pacific Linguistics, Series B – No. 87''. Canberra: ANU Printing Services.) is a small island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu. The island is about 8 km fr ...

(

Paama Airport Paama Airport is an airport on Paama island, in the Malampa Province of Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of ...

) *

South West Bay South West Bay () is an open bay indenting the west side of Heard Island immediately north of Cape Gazert in the southern Indian Ocean. The bay was roughly charted on an 1860 sketch map compiled by Captain H.C. Chester, an American sealer. The ...

(

South West Bay Airport South West Bay Airport is an airport in South West Bay, Malakula, Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcan ...

) * Ulei ( Ulei Airport) ;

Penama Penama is one of the six provinces of Vanuatu, located in the northeast of the country and consisting of three major islands: * Ambae Island, Ambae (or Aoba Island, Aoba) * Maewo * Pentecost Island, Pentecost The name Penama is derived from the ...

* Longana, east

Ambae Ambae, also known as Aoba, Omba, Oba, or Opa and formerly Lepers’ Island, is an island in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, approximately north-northwest of Vanuatu's capital city, Port Vila. It is also Vanuatu's largest activ ...

(

Longana Airport Longana Airport is an airport in Longana, Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of ...

) * Naone,

Maewo Maewo (, in English as and formerly ''Aurora Island'') is an island in Vanuatu in Penama province, 105 km to the east of Espiritu Santo. It is 47 km long, and 6 km wide, with an area of 269 km2. Its highest point is 795 ...

(

Maewo-Naone Airport Maewo-Naone Airport is an airport on Maewo in Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east o ...

) * Redcliffe, south

( Redcliffe Airport) * Lonorore, south

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

( Lonorore Airport) * Sara, north

( Sara Airport) * Walaha, west

( Walaha Airport) ; Shefa *

Émaé Emae is an island in the Shepherd Islands, Shefa, Vanuatu. Geography Maunga Lasi is the highest peak at 644 m. It forms the northern rim of the (mostly) underwater volcano of Makura, which also covers the nearby islands of Makura and Mataso. It ...

( Siwo Airport) * Lamen Bay ( Lamen Bay Airport) *

Tongoa Tongoa is an inhabited island in Shefa Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Geography Tongoa is the largest island of Shepherd Islands archipelago. The island is heavily vegetated and shows geothermal activity. Tongoa is of recent volcanic ...

( Tongoa Airport) * Valesdir ( Valesdir Airport) ;

Tafea Tafea is the southernmost of the six Provinces of Vanuatu, provinces of Vanuatu. The name is an acronym for the five main islands that make up the province: Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna, Erromango and Aniwa. History Unlike the other provinces of V ...

Anatom Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is the southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the province of Tafea. Geography Aneityum is the southernmost island of Vanuatu (not counting the Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are disputed with New Caledo ...

(

Anatom Airport Anatom Airport , also known as Aneityum Airport, is an airfield serving the island of Aneityum, in the Taféa province in Vanuatu. The airfield is actually located on the smaller Inyeug island. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation o ...

) * Aniwa (

Aniwa Airport Aniwa Airport is an airfield on the island of Aniwa, in the Taféa province in Vanuatu. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surf ...

) * Dillon's Bay ( Dillon's Bay Airport) * Futuna Island ( Futuna Airport) * Ipota ( Ipota Airport) * Tanna ( White Grass Airport) ; Torba *

Gaua Gaua (formerly known as ''Santa Maria Island'') is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers . Geography Gaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The climate is ...

( Gaua Airport) *

Mota Lava Mota Lava or Motalava is an island of the Banks group, in the north of Vanuatu. It forms a single coral system with the small island of Ra. The 2009 census figures give a population of 1,640 inhabitants (Mota Lava + Ra), which amounts to a p ...

(

Mota Lava Airport Mota Lava Airport is an airport located on the island of Mota Lava, one of the Banks Islands in the Torba province in Vanuatu. Also known as ''Valua Airport'', it is located on the eastern end of Motalava island, near the village of Aplow (for ...

) *

Sola Sola may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Saints of Los Angeles'', a 2008 album by Mötley Crüe * ''Sola'', an album by Olga Tañón * ''Sola'', an album by Zayda y los Culpables Songs * Sola (Becky G song), "Sola" (Becky G song ...

Vanua Lava Vanua Lava is the second largest of the Banks Islands in Torba Province, Vanuatu, after slightly larger Gaua. It is located about 120 km north-northeast of Espiritu Santo and north of Gaua. Name The name ''Vanua Lava'' comes from the Mot ...

(

Vanua Lava Airport Vanua Lava Airport , also known as Sola Airport, is an airport near Sola on the island of Vanua Lava, one of the Banks Islands in the Torba province in Vanuatu. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one ...

) *

Torres Islands The Torres Islands are an island chain in the Torba Province of the country of Vanuatu, the country’s northernmost island group. The chain of islands that make up this micro-archipelago straddles the broader cultural boundary between Island Me ...

(

Torres Airport Torres Airport is an airfield serving the Torres Islands in the Torba province in Vanuatu. It is located on Linua Linua is an island in the Torres Islands archipelago in Torba Province of Vanuatu in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Geograp ...

)

International destinations

, Air Vanuatu does not operate any international flights, and currently only operates within Vanuatu. Previously, in January 2023, Air Vanuatu operated scheduled flights to the following international destinations:

Interline agreements

Air Vanuatu had

interline agreement Interlining, also known as interline ticketing and interline booking, is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers traveling on itineraries that require multiple flights on multiple airlines. Such agreemen ...

s with the following airlines: *

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...

Codeshare agreements

Air Vanuatu had

codeshare agreement A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

s with the following airlines: *

Aircalin Société Aircalin, also known as Air Calédonie International, is the flag carrier of the French collectivity of New Caledonia, with its headquarters in Nouméa. It operates scheduled services from its main hub at La Tontouta International A ...

Fiji Airways Fiji Airways, formerly Air Pacific, is the flag carrier of Fiji. It operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 27 destinations, and has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners, includi ...

Fleet

, the Air Vanuatu fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

Incidents and accidents

* 25 July 1991 – a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft crashed on the island of Espiritu Santo, killing all nine passengers and the pilot. The crash site was located only after a four-day search involving several helicopters. The crash was attributed to pilot error. * 19 December 2008 – a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft (Flight 261) with nine passengers crashed into a mountain near

Olpoi Airport Olpoi Airport , also known as ''North West Santo Airport'', is an airport in Olpoi on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. ...

on the western side of the island of

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

, killing the pilot and seriously injuring some passengers. The aircraft had been heading to

Santo-Pekoa International Airport Santo International Airport is an airport in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu . The airport used to be called Santo-Pekoa International airport until it was renamed in the Vanuatu AIPV amendment released on 16 June 2021. Airports Vanuatu L ...

. The mountainous region where the aircraft crashed was shrouded in thick fog at the time. * 28 July 2018, ATR 72 registration YJ-AV71, operating Flight 241, suffered an in-flight engine failure. On landing at Port Vila, the aircraft departed the runway and collided with two parked

Britten-Norman Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial airc ...

aircraft belonging to Unity Airlines and another company. Thirteen people sustained minor injuries.

References

External links

{{commons category-inline
Official website
Airlines of Vanuatu Airlines established in 1981 Government-owned airlines Port Vila 1981 establishments in Vanuatu