Talofa Airways is a
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
n airline that offers flights within the
Polynesian region
Polynesian is the adjectival form of Polynesia. It may refer to:
* Polynesians, an ethnic group
* Polynesian culture, the culture of the indigenous peoples of Polynesia
* Polynesian mythology, the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia
* Polyn ...
. It started operations in August 2016 using two
Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander aircraft. Talofa Airways is the third airline based in Samoa, after
Samoa Air
Samoa Air was a small airline from Samoa that operated scheduled flights between the domestic islands as well as to American Samoa. It also provided charter flights and medical transfer flights. The airline appears to have become dormant in 2015 ...
and
Polynesian Airlines
Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Samoa.
The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International op ...
.
As of September 2016, the airline serves three destinations in the region.
History
Toleafoa Jeffrey Hunter, the founder of Talofa Airways, first had plans to set up an airline business in the region in 1996, when he decided to remain in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
rather than return to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
After opening a pharmacy in
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
in 2002, Hunter began to invest towards establishing Talofa Airways,
which would provide more convenient air travel between
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
,
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...
and other islands in
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
.
He selected the
Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander in a nine-seat configuration for the airline's fleet.
In order to avoid the high costs of transporting the aircraft to Samoa, Hunter flew the aircraft from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
himself.
On 22 August 2016, the airline held an inauguration ceremony at Apia's
Fagali'i Airport
Fagali'i Airport is a disused airport located in Fagali'i, Samoa. It has operated intermittently since 1970.
History
In 1939 the New Zealand colonial administration decided to construct two military airfields in Samoa, one each for land- and ...
with Samoan Prime Minister
Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi in attendance.
Talofa Airways began operations on 29 August 2016,
becoming the third airline based in Samoa after
Polynesian Airlines
Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Samoa.
The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International op ...
and
Samoa Air
Samoa Air was a small airline from Samoa that operated scheduled flights between the domestic islands as well as to American Samoa. It also provided charter flights and medical transfer flights. The airline appears to have become dormant in 2015 ...
.
Corporate affairs
The airline takes its name from the traditional Samoan greeting ''
Talofa
Talofa is a salutation or greeting in the Samoan language of the Samoan Islands.{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ptk9xUamLeUC&q=ali%27i&pg=PA209, title=Linguistic anthropology, first=Alessandro, last=Duranti, publisher=John Wiley ...
'', signifying Talofa Airways' Samoan roots.
It is headquartered in
Taufusi Taufusi is a village on the Samoan island of Upolu. It is part of the Vaimauga West Electoral Constituency (''Faipule District''), Tuamasaga District, in the Apia Urban Area of Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmo ...
, Apia. Toleafoa Jeffrey Hunter serves as the chairman and
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
.
Destinations
As of September 2016, Talofa Airways flies to the following destinations:
[
]
Fleet
![Talofa Airways 5W-JMJ, Sep 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Talofa_Airways_5W-JMJ%2C_Sep_2016.jpg)
As of September 2016, Talofa Airways operates the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
* On 12 January 2017, a Talofa Airways Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander was involved in an accident after a normal landing at Pago Pago International Airport (American Samoa). There were no reported injuries or fatalities.
References
External links
*
Video of inauguration ceremony, 22 August 2016
{{Airlines of Samoa
Airlines of Samoa
Airlines established in 2016
2016 establishments in Oceania