Air Moana (NM, Papeete) says it has secured its air operator's certificate (AOC), opening the way for French Polynesia's newest airline to commence revenue passenger services next month.
Air Moana president Karl Tefaatau said the AOC took eight months to acquire. Flights are timetabled to commence on February 13 using a single ATR72-600C - F-ORMT (msn 1301) - which will initially fly roundtrips between Papeete's Faa'a International Airport and Bora Bora and Papeete and Raiatea up to two times a day, and roundtrips between Papeete and Rangiroa up to six times a week. When a second ATR72-600C arrives, in time for an uptick in flights scheduled to start on March 20, services will expand to Moorea, Nuku Hiva, and Hiva Oa Atuona.
French Polynesia is emerging as a minor hotbed of airline activity. In addition to Air Moana making it to launch stage and Air Bora Bora securing its air carrier's licence in December 2022, FLY CORALway, Islands Airline, and Motu Link Airline are at various points along the start-up pathway. However, underscoring the difficulty of the local operating environment, TAC - Tahiti Air Charter went out of business in October, putting its two aircraft up for sale.
