Air Vanuatu halts operations

Financial difficulties have forced Air Vanuatu to halt all operations, replace its board, and appoint an administrator to see if the airline can resume operations again. According to a statement issued on 10 May 2024, the appointment of the administrator came after "a challenging period for the global aviation industry, including labour shortages, inflation affecting input costs, and a global increasing cost of credit enviroment".

Furthermore, the administrator has said it will conduct a fleet and maintenance check to see if the airline can resume operations soon.

Air Vanuatu, which was founded in 1981, has a fleet of one ATR72-600, one Boeing B737-800, and two DHC-6s. Both the ATR and B737 have been parked for maintenance, which has prompted the airline to utilize wet-lease capacity for its flights.

Photo by Anton Homma.