Virgin Australia (VA, Brisbane International) is set to resume flights to Port Vila Bauerfield International Airport in Vanuatu later this month following a four month-long boycott.
The carrier, along with Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland International) and Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith), withdrew their respective commercial services from the airfield in January citing the poor condition of runway 11/29. Emergency remedial works to the track were completed last month leading to Virgin's decision to resume flights.
However, despite the stop-gap measure, Air New Zealand has said it would only resume its services there once a more permanent solution is put in place. The decision has greatly irritated the Ni-Vanuatu government with Minister of Public Utilities and Infrastructure, Jotham Napat, directing the Civil Aviation Authority Vanuatu (CAAV) to deny an Air New Zealand charter flight carrying RSE workers permission to use Port Vila on April 28.
At a press conference in Port Vila late last month, Napat publicly questioned Air New Zealand's decision to operate a charter flight but not to resume regular services to the island.
“The government has denied their application and instead encourages such charters to be operated by airlines committed to the destination,” he was quoted by the Fiji Sun newspaper.
