Government Confirms Commitment to Air Vanuatu

The Hon. Jay Ngwele, Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities confirms that the Republic of Vanuatu has a standing commitment to Air Vanuatu. This means the government will do all that is financially necessary and commercially viable to support the National Airline. This statement was made in response to allegations made in the press concerning the alleged threat of aircraft repossession.

Air Vanuatu assures the public that securing appropriate aircraft to operate the airline is the top focus for the executive team. They have a plan in place, this includes continuing the lease on the Boeing 737 and importantly it also includes additional planes that are required to stabilize domestic operations. As previously stated, there are agreed payment plans in place for the Boeing 737 and these have been agreed to by the Lessor. These financial commitments have been negotiated to ensure operations continue. Most airlines in the world will have the same situation at present and be recovering from the debts incurred during the pandemic.

The operational responsibility lies with the airline CEO to negotiate these arrangements and an equally important partnership is in place already with the Government who have made financial commitments that need to be honoured. The public is assured that appropriate focus is on these matters and that this includes all the stakeholders in the airline including senior government officials.