Air Vanuatu is an

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

with its head office in the Air Vanuatu House,

Port Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

. 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 the government for international operations. Hi ...

, operating to Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, New Caledonia and points in the South Pacific. Its main base is Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila.

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's old ...

27 March 2007

History

Air Vanuatu was established in early 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 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. ISSN 0813-0876 In May 1982 a

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a 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 retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

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 ope ...

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. ISSN 0813-0876 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, servicing 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 Qan ...

; 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 heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

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 leased from Australian Airlines. The following year an

Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (English: ''pioneer'') is a Brazilian general purpose 15–21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft designed by Embraer for military and civil use. The EMB 110 was designed by the French engineer Max ...

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 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 island, Grande Terre, and ...

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

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

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. ISSN 0813-0876 Qantas is deeply involved in the airline's operations to this day; Air Vanuatu uses Qantas Frequent Flyer program, Qantas codeshares on Air Vanuatu's flights from Australia, and provides 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 Februa ...

in April 1997. The same month Bandeirante services ceased when a Saab 2000 entered service.Reid, Gordon. "Major Airline Directory", ''Australian Aviation'' magazine, No. 150, May 1999, p50. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., Weston Creek ACT. ISSN 0813-0876 The lease on the Saab 2000 was terminated in March 1999 and in June that year Air Vanuatu commenced 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 later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

of Vanuatu's government-owned domestic carrier Vanair on weekly services to Nouméa. In April 2001 Air Vanuatu merged with Vanair, however the merger was reversed only five months later. In November 2003 an ATR 42 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 narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

. Three Harbin Y-12s 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 Otters. 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, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. With the reshuffling of Orders and the shrinking and localization of the management team. During this, the CEO Derek Nice has stepped down, being temporarily replaced by Joseph Laloyer. Until a replacement can be found. This includes delaying the delivery of the 4 A220 Family aircraft they had on order. And a strategic review of their network.

Destinations

Domestic

As of November 2009 Air Vanuatu operates 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 Cove Airport) * Lamap ( Malekoula Island Airport) *

Norsup Norsup is an island across the bay from the village with the same name on Malakula Island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu. It is located near Lakatoro, the capital of Malampa Province. Population According to the 2009 census, it has a population ...

( Norsup Airport) * Paama ( Paama Airport) * South West Bay ( South West Bay Airport) * Ulei ( Ulei Airport) ; Penama * Longana, east Ambae (

Longana Airport Longana Airport is an airport in Longana, Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The ...

) * Naone,

Maewo Maewo (; 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 m above sea ...

( Maewo-Naone Airport) * Redcliffe, south Ambae ( Redcliffe Airport) * Lonorore, south Pentecost ( Lonorore Airport) * Sara, north Pentecost ( Sara Airport) * Walaha, west Ambae ( Walaha Airport) ; Shefa * Émaé ( Siwo Airport) * Lamen Bay ( Lamen Bay Airport) * Tongoa ( Tongoa Airport) * Valesdir ( Valesdir Airport) ;

Tafea Tafea is the southernmost of the six 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 Vanuatu, the territoria ...

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 Caledon ...

( Anatom Airport) * Aniwa ( Aniwa Airport) * 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 342 km². History Gaua was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expeditio ...

( 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 1640 inhabitants (Mota Lava + Ra), which amounts to a pop ...

( Mota Lava Airport) *

Sola Sola is a municipality and a Seaside resort in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hål ...

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 ...

( Vanua Lava Airport) * Torres Islands ( Torres Airport) ATR 42 at Port Vila - Vanuatu

International charter flights

Air Vanuatu Charter
As of September 2020 Air Vanuatu commenced International Charter Flights to / from the following international destinations specialising in seasonal worker, company, diplomatic and freight charters throughout the Pacific Islands, South West Pacfic, South East Asia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. #airvanuatucharter :

International scheduled

As of March 2019 Air Vanuatu operates to the following international destinations:

Codeshare agreements

Air Vanuatu has

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 * Air Niugini * Fiji Airways *

Solomon Airlines Solomon Airlines is the national airline 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 charte ...

Fleet

, the Air Vanuatu fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Incidents and accidents

* 19 December 2008 – a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft (Flight 261) with nine passengers crashed into a mountain near Olpoi Airport 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 o ...

, 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 Vanuat ...

. The mountainous region where the aircraft crashed was shrouded in thick fog at the time. * 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 only located after a four-day search involving several helicopters. The crash was attributed to pilot error. * 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 aircraft belonging t
Unity Airlines
and that of another company. Thirteen people sustained minor injuries.

References

External links

Air VanuatuCaptain Bani dies saving passengers
{{IATA members, asia 1981 establishments in Vanuatu Airlines established in 1981 Airlines of Vanuatu Government-owned airlines Port Vila