Air Tahiti is a French airline company which operates in

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

, France. Its main hub is Faa'a International Airport. It is the largest private employer in French Polynesia.

Company history

Early Seaplane Operations

The company was founded in July 1950 by Jean Arbelot and Marcel Lasserre, operating between

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

, Raiatea, and Bora Bora using a 7-seater seaplane, a Grumman Widgeon J-4F. In 1951, the French Ministry for the Overseas purchased on behalf of the Territory a Grumman Mallard

amphibian aircraft An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft (typically fixed-wing) that can take off and land on both solid ground and water, though amphibious helicopters do exist as well. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes (flying boats a ...

, which the airline was allowed to use. In May 1951 it inaugurated a fortnightly mail service between

and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, only for the first flight to be turned away due to concerns about Polio. The route was discontinued in June 1952 when TEAL extended its service to Papeete. The airline temporarily ceased all operations in July 1952 after a crash injured its only pilot, but services resumed in April 1953 after an Australian pilot was recruited. Gradually, Air Tahiti spread its wings to all the islands of French Polynesia. In 1953 the first landing in the Gambier archipelago was achieved. In October 1953, the first flight to the Marquesas islands took place with a sea-landing at Taiohae / Nuku Hiva.

RAI

In July 1953 the Territory reallocated the Grumman Mallard to ''Régie Aérienne Interinsulaire'' (RAI, "interisland aviation board"), a subsidiary of Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux, which took over air transport in French Polynesia. The Air Tahiti brand then disappeared. RAI acquired two Consolidated PBY Catalina seaplanes to expand links between the islands of French Polynesia. Originally operating in an orange livery, these aircraft later adopted green and blue. The network was expanded, and in 1955, the Austral archipelagos inaugurated seaplane service with the opening of routes to Tubuai and Raivavae. In 1958 RAI rebranded as the ''Réseau Aérien Interinsulaire'' (Inter-Island Aviation Network). It continued to operate seaplanes, and expanded its network to include the Tuamotus. It also operated a Short Sandringham "Bermuda"

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

connecting the main runway at Bora-Bora with Papeete. The construction of Papeete's Faa'a International Airport in 1960 was followed by a vast construction program of runways across French Polynesia, and RAI's fleet shifted away from seaplanes towards conventional aircraft.

Air Polynésie

In 1970, RAI rebranded again as Air Polynésie. Nicknamed "Air Po" by Polynesians, the company asserted more of its Polynesian identity and implemented regular services throughout French Polynesia and especially to the more remote islands. The airline had a "virtual monopoly" due to a convention with the territorial government. Initially operating a Short Sandringham "Bermuda"

, a Douglas DC-4 propliner and a

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, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

turboprop, it later added a

Britten-Norman BN-2 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 air ...

and two Fokker F27 Friendships. It began operations to Huahine in April 1971. In late 1984, faced with a need for new capital to purchase modern aircraft, it threatened to wind itself up unless a loan was guaranteed by the territorial government.

Air Tahiti again

In 1985, the former

UTA Uta or UTA may refer to: Universities *University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States *University of Tarapacá, in Chile *University of Tampere, in Finland Sports * FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad * A c ...

(by then absorbed by Air France) sold a majority of Air Polynesia shares, with 25% being given to the French Polynesian government and the remaining 45% sold to local investors. In 1987 the airline was again rebranded as Air Tahiti, using a fleet of

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

regional turboprop aircraft. Between 1987 and 2007 it quadrupled its passenger-kilometres travelled, from 75 million to 315 million.

Destinations

Air Tahiti covers a network of 47 islands in French Polynesia and Cook Islands. Society Islands * Bora Bora * Huahine * Maupiti * Moorea * Raiatea * Tahiti (Hub) Tuamotu Archipelago *

Ahe Ahe, Ahemaru or Omaru, is a coral atoll in the northern Tuamotus, Tuamotu Archipelago, 14 km to the west of Manihi, in French Polynesia. Its ring shape is broken by only a single small passage into the lagoon. It has a land area of approxi ...

* Aratika * Arutua * Faaite * Fakarava * Katiu * Kauehi * Kaukura * Manihi * Mataiva * Niau * Rangiroa * Takapoto * Takaroa * Tikehau East Tuamotu-Gambier archipelago * Anaa *

Fangatau Fangatau, or Nakai-erua, is a small atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The nearest land is Fakahina Atoll, located 72 km to the ESE. This small atoll has an elongated shape. Its length is , maximum width . It has a total area ...

Hao Hao or HAO may refer to: People * Hao (surname) (Chinese: ) * Hao (video gamer), Chinese professional ''Dota 2'' player * Leo Hao, Russian artist *Heather O'Reilly, Professional soccer player Places * Hao (city), or Haojing (), capital of the ...

Hikueru Hikueru, Tiveru, or Te Kārena, is one of the Central Tuamotu atolls. The closest land to Hikueru is Tekokota Atoll, located 22 km to the north. Hikueru Atoll's shape is roughly oval and it is 15 km in length and 9.5 km in width. ...

* Mangareva /( Gambier) * Makemo * Napuka *

Nukutavake Nukutavake or Nukutuvake is an island in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It lies 1125 km from Tahiti. The closest land is small Pinaki Atoll, located 15 km to the southeast. Vairaatea Atoll lies 38 km to the west of Nukut ...

* Pukarua * Raroia * Reao *

Tatakoto Tatakoto is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. Tatakoto is one of the more isolated atolls of the Tuamotus. It is situated in the east of the archipelago, from Tahiti. This atoll is long and wide. It has one large island and ...

* Tureia * Vahitahi Marquesas archipelago * Hiva Oa * Nuku Hiva Austral archipelago * Raivavae * Rimatara *

Rurutu Rūrutu is the northernmost island in the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, and the name of a commune consisting solely of that island. It is situated south of Tahiti. Its land area is .Tubuai Marquesas archipelago * Ua Huka * Ua Pou Air Tahiti ATR 72-500 at Rarotonga Airport

Air Tahiti ATR 72-500 at Rarotonga Airport

Tuamotu archipelago * Apataki *

Fakahina Fakahina, or Kaīna, is a small atoll in the north of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The nearest land is Fangatau Atoll, located 72 km to the north-west. Fakahina's length is and its maximum width . It has a land area of and a la ...

* Puka-Puka * Takume

International destinations

Cook Islands

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

Fleet

As of September 2018, the Air Tahiti fleet consists of:

Accidents and incidents

* On April 18, 1991, Air Tahiti Flight 805 was on approach to Nuku Hiva Airport, when the aircraft, a Dornier 228, suffered an engine failure and attempted to ditch near the coast. 10 of the 20 occupants in the aircraft were killed.

References

External links

Official Air Tahiti Website Aircraft manufacturer ATR website SEAC State Department of Civil Aviation Website
{{IATA members, asia Airlines of France Airlines of French Polynesia Airlines established in 1953 1953 establishments in French Polynesia Former seaplane operators