Air access is critical to all Ni-Vanuatu

Airports Vanuatu Ltd (AVL) wishes to update stakeholders on the importance of air access and the flow on implications to the lives of every Vanuatu resident.

Borders closed since March; passenger traffic decimated

Vanuatu’s borders have been closed for nearly six months under the State of Emergency.
• Overall passenger traffic is 76% down on a year ago, meaning only one person is travelling now, for every four people previously.
• Domestic flying recommenced relatively quickly in April, but capacity has been constrained by Air Vanuatu’s available fleet. The 68-seat ATR aircraft which has served Tanna, Santo and Port Vila
has been stranded overseas during maintenance. Domestic passenger movements for the August quarter are down 56% on a year ago.

• International air travel continues to operate in a limited capacity under the direction of the National Disaster Management Office to enable humanitarian relief, repatriation and cargo flights. Just over 3,000 international passengers travelled during the August quarter, 97% down on a year ago.

Everyday Ni-Vanuatu are impacted by reduced access to air travel
AVL believes air travel is essential for the social and economic health of our nation and our people. CEO, Jason Rakau, commented, “Air services are essential to every one of us, even though not everyone in Vanuatu actually flies. Delivery of the social aspects of the People’s Plan relating to health are under threat, without regular air access. Health, education, seasonal worker programmes, visiting technical specialists – many people are impacted by limited air services, resulting in constrained supply lines and freight. Air access is the key enabler of global connectivity and since the borders closed, without access to air travel and freight and limited sea freight, every Vanuatu resident will have seen an impact on their quality of life. We welcome the certainty that Air Vanuatu’s limited air services through to December have given our community. As a first step, fortnightly services will operate for cargo and repatriation to Auckland, Brisbane, Noumea and Nadi”.
AVL is committed to contributing to the Tamtam Bubble and working closely with all other agencies

AVL has taken a prominent role behind the scenes in recovery planning and our key consideration in all decision making is public health and acting on the advice of the Ministry of Health. We are preparing for the reopening of borders when it is safe to do so, to welcome back international visitors and kick start the larger economy. While Covid-19 situation remains challenging in Australia and New Zealand, we urge our decision makers to continue to take a pragmatic approach to aviation, and work with ourselves, Air Vanuatu and the NDMO in the provision of  flights  which can bring critical cargo.

Kevin Abel, General Manager Operations for AVL, commented, “We need to maintain our aviation assets for safe and compliant operations at an airport and airline level, to ensure that we are able to continue to operate essential air services through limited international flights operations commencing now, through to the end of the year, and then to be ready to reengage with the world, when the time is right”.

Ends

About Airports Vanuatu Ltd
AVL is the proud owner and operator of three airports, in Port Vila, and on the islands of Santo and Tanna. AVL’s airports and our airline partners work together to facilitate safe, secure and reliable air access for international visitors to travel to and from our island paradise and for Ni-Vanuatu to work and play, flying domestically and to the rest of the world.

Media contact
For further information, please contact Jason Rakau, Chief Executive Officer of AVL.
Tel: 25111 or International Direct Dial +678 25111
Email: jrakau@airports.vu
Web: www.airports.vu
Address: PO Box 131, Port Vila, Vanuatu, SW Pacific