Trouble in Paradise

There is serious trouble for Vanuatu and Bauerfield International Airport Port Vila.

Yesterday Air New Zealand announced it was suspending its once weekly AKL-VLI service and cancelling its codeshare on Air Vanuatu flights due to the deteriorating condition of the airport runway. Further video from 3news.co.nz HERE

Today Qantas have announced they too are cancelling their codeshares on Air Vanuatu flights from VLI to BNE & SYD.

Virgin Australia have announced they are sending safety experts to Vanuatu this weekend to assess the situation and it is expected they too will suspend their BNE-VLI flights.

This leaves Fiji Airways and Aircalin & Flysolomons (Solomon Airlines) as the remaining international operators as well as local airline Air Vanuatu, but for how long?.

Air Vanuatu itself is experiencing issues, in November they farewelled their B738 YJ-AV1 after its lease ended, its replacement is due at the end of January with uplift in the interim covered by the dry lease of Transavia Airways B738 PH-HSA. However PH-HSA hasn't flown since 21 January 2016 with B738 services having been cancelled and B733s VH-YNU & VH-PNI of Nauru Airlines covering some services.

Pacific disruptions due to TC Pam

TC Pam seen covering New Caledonia and Vanuatu

There are disruptions to flights across the South Pacific today with tropical cyclone Pam effecting flights into New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Air New Zealand has postponed flight NZ782 AKL-NOU for over 32hrs, the flight was scheduled to depart Auckland this morning Saturday 14-March-2015 at 10.05NZDT but will now depart tomorrow Sunday 15-March-2015 at 18:15NZDT.
It is not yet know if flight NZ788 AKL-VLI scheduled for 09:40NZDT tomorrow will be delayed or cancelled as the cyclone tracks south.

Virgin Australia have postponed flight VA171 BNE-VLI from 10:30AEST today to 10:40AEST tomorrow.

Qantas have postponed flight QF87 BNE-NOU from 10:00AEST today until 09:30AEST tomorrow, meanwhile QF91 SYD-NOU has been cancelled.

Air Vanuatu have cancelled both their flights today NF50/51 VLI-AKL-VLI and NF10/11 VLI-SYD-VLI

Meanwhile Aircalin have launched both their flights today with A320 F-OJSB departing NOU for MEL as SB110 and A330 F-OHSD departing NOU for NRT as SB800, it appears that both return flights will operate delayed.  SB111 MEL-NOU delayed from 14:20AEDT to 08:00AEDT while SB801 NRT-NOU will delay from 12:15JST to 19:15JST

A few images from the [recent] archives

I've been looking through my archives in the last few days and have done some editing to come up with the following 3 images.


First we head way back into 2007 where a miserable cold winters day makes for a moody backdrop to Emirates A340-500 A6-ERA in Christchurch.

Next we fast forward to 2008 where the summer sun shimmers on Eva Air A332 B-16305 as she arrives into Christchurch on a charter flight.

Finally we move to 2009 with the gorgeous YJ-AV1 of Air Vanuatu as she departs Auckland on return to her Port Villa home.