Disruptions

The national carrier said via a statement on Tuesday that all flights to and from Australia and New Zealand have been cancelled until the end of the week.

"It is with deep regret that we now are cancelling all flights on the New Zealand and Australia routes up to and including Friday 7th of April," the airline said.

"This announcement follows recent news regarding the parts that we are waiting on for the Boeing 737 aircraft."

The airline said it has reached out to partner airlines for support with flying the impacted passengers while its plane awaits parts.

"However, unfortunately there are no additional services available at this time," the airline said in a statement on Sunday.

"Most Air Vanuatu international flights to and from Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland will not be operational until Tuesday at the earliest," it added.

RNZ pacific reports call centres were closed on the weekend, upsetting hundreds of passengers who took to social media to express their frustrations.

An outbreak of Covid-19 in Guangdong province in southern China has caused acute congestion at the region's ports.

As a result, shipments have been delayed, exacerbating tensions within global supply chains.

And the knock-on effects could take many months to resolve.

The problems in Guangdong are just the latest in a series of severe setbacks for the industry. Shipping firms have been struggling to cope with dramatic fluctuations in demand triggered by the pandemic, as well as the consequences from the recent blockage of the Suez Canal.