Air Vanuatu's sole Boeing 737-800 is back in service; this comes after multiple delays and mechanical issues that the carrier has faced in the last 12 months.
The Pacific Island carrier advised its passengers earlier in the week it was 'working as quickly as possible' to source the replacement parts that grounded the carrier's only capable aircraft connecting Port Vila to Australia and New Zealand.
From its base at Port Vila Bauerfield International Airport (VLI), the jet aircraft is deployed on its services to Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. With September / October peak time for school holidays in Australia and New Zealand, recent groundings of the Air Vanuatu aircraft have meant many travelers were stranded at home or stuck on the islands. The airline quickly offered travelers refunds or alternative accommodation while the carrier organized return journeys home. Reported costs to the airline from this incident are expected to reach VT 168 million ($1.38).
Air Vanuatu has become accustomed to calling on its neighbors for support given its plague of mechanical troubles, with the airline calling in Solomon Airlines earlier in the year to maintain the connection between Honiara - Port Vila and Auckland, where the carrier facilitated the through service.
In the wake of this recent grounding, Nauru Airlines was also recruited to handle services between Port Vila and its Australian and New Zealand gateways, as reported by Stuff.co.nz, Fiji Airways also lent a hand in getting passengers where they needed to be.