New Booking Conditions

Air Vanuatu (Operations) Limited (In Liquidation)
(“Air Vanuatu” or “the Company”)

Air Vanuatu entered liquidation on 9 May 2024 and Morgan Kelly, Andrew Hanson and Justin Walsh of EY were appointed as Joint and Several Liquidators (“Liquidators”) of the Company. As a result of the liquidation, all flights were immediately grounded, and all services were subsequently cancelled.

We are pleased to announce that we will be starting reduced services via scheduled charter flights in the week of 5 August 2024. This is another step toward the full reinstatement of the airline’s domestic services.

The schedule will include one flight to Santo and Tanna each day and will be operated by a twin otter aircraft. A date for commencement of Air Vanuatu’s full domestic operations will be set once all necessary requirements have been satisfied and required regulatory approvals have been received from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (“CAAV”).

All bookings will require the purchase of new tickets at our Sales Offices or by calling our Contact Centre in Vanuatu.

This update offers important information regarding new bookings, existing bookings and refund options for tickets booked prior to the company entering liquidation.

1) New Bookings

Tickets can be purchased from the Air Vanuatu Sales Offices in Santo, Port Vila, and Lenakel. Guests can also book via our Contact Centre in Vanuatu by calling +678 23838 Monday to Friday 09:00 am to 04:00 pm.

Guests can also contact our Reservations Team via email [email protected] to make bookings.

As we recommence services bookings have to be made directly with Air Vanuatu (Operations) Limited (In Liquidation) as we are unable to distribute to any of the GDS and Travel Agencies.

Payment of tickets at the Sales Offices can be made via any of the following payment options:

• Cash;
• Bank transfers (using the Biller name of the Company which are available in the local Vanuatu banking platforms).
• Debit Cards with a local issued Bank Card (ANZ, BRED, NBV & BSP) via EFTPOS terminals.
• Credit Card (MasterCard & Visa) via EFTPOS terminals - credit card purchases will incur a 3% surcharge.

The following forms of payments will NOT be accepted:

• Personal or Company Cheque
• Government LPOs – a Government Cheque (Reserve Bank of Vanuatu Cheque) will need to be submitted for payment

2) Bookings Made Prior to the Company Entering Liquidation

a) Unpaid tickets

Any bookings made prior to the appointment of the Liquidators which have not been paid have been cancelled and new bookings will need to be made.

b) Paid tickets

Please be advised that Air Vanuatu (Operations) Limited (In Liquidation) will not honour paid tickets for international and domestic bookings made prior to the appointment of the Liquidators. For information on obtaining refunds, please refer to the 'Refunds' section below.

c) Refunds

Currently, Air Vanuatu is unable to provide refunds to guests for passenger and cargo services cancelled prior to the appointment of the Liquidators.

Customers seeking refunds are encouraged to consider the following options:

Credit Card Purchases: If you purchased your ticket with a credit or debit card that offers financial protection, you may be eligible for a refund through your bank. Should you encounter difficulties in obtaining a refund from your card issuer, PayPal, or your travel insurance, please proceed as outlined below.

Unsecured Creditors: Guests who have paid for tickets prior to the appointment of the Liquidators will be unsecured creditors of the company in its liquidation. Please provide copies of evidence of your purchase to support your claim at [email protected]. Following receipt of this evidence, a unique Creditor Portal code will be provided for you to log into the Portal to update details of your claim. We note that customers will be unsecured creditors of the Company at this early stage, it is not known how much money (if any) will be available to meet such claims.

3) Baggage Policy

The following baggage allowance will apply on the Scheduled Charter services between Port Vila and Santo and Port Vila and Tanna.

Any excess baggage above the allowance will be charged as excess baggage and paid for at Check In. Due to capacity and operational constraints excess baggage may not be accepted on these Scheduled Charter Services.

4) Opening Hours of our Sales Offices & Contact Centre in Vanuatu

Our Sales Offices in Santo, Port Vila and Tanna will be open from 09:00 am to 03:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Our Airport Sales Office in Port Vila will be opened from 09:00 am to 03:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Our Sales Office at Pekoa Airport and Whitegrass Airport will remain closed for the interim.

Our Contact Centre in Port Vila is open from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Our Sales Offices in New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia remain closed. For bookings on Vanuatu domestic services guests outside Vanuatu; Guests can contact our team via [email protected]

5) Personal Identification for Bookings & Check In

Guests must produce a copy of their photo identification card at time of booking or payment. Acceptable IDs are:

• Passport
• Driver's licence
• National Provident card (VNPF)
• Vanuatu National Identification card
• Valid current company photo ID

Any changes or correction to the name in the booking will incur a penalty fee.

6) Check In Times & Close Check In

Guests are reminded that check in will close off 1 hour prior to the flight departure time.

Our Check in Agents will ask for Guests to produce their ID (used at time of booking) at Check In.

Failure to check in for your flight will result in loss of fare and you will need to purchase a new ticket.

7) Student Fares

Student fares are not available on these Schedule Charter services.

8) Cargo Services

No cargo will be accepted during the scheduled charter flights. The team are working towards accepting cargo sales once Air Vanuatu’s full domestic services recommence. We will provide updates to customers regarding cargo in due course.

Existing bookings made pre-appointment: Please be advised that Air Vanuatu (Operations) Limited (In Liquidation) will not honour paid cargo services for international and domestic bookings made prior to the appointment of the Liquidators. Currently, Air Vanuatu is unable to provide refunds for cargo services cancelled prior to the appointment of the Liquidators. For information on obtaining refunds, please refer to the 'Refunds' section above under Section 2 above.