Consultants overseeing course of say they hope to get the airline’s 4 planes again within the skies as quickly as doable.
Air Vanuatu, the nationwide provider of the Pacific Islands nation of Vanuatu, has gone into liquidation a day after it cancelled all flights leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.
Greater than 20 flights to and from the Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane, in addition to the New Zealand metropolis of Auckland have been cancelled, with the airline blaming “prolonged upkeep necessities” on their plane.
EY, the worldwide consultants appointed by the federal government to supervise the liquidation, assured travellers stranded in Vanuatu that it hoped to get the corporate’s small fleet of planes again within the sky as quickly as doable.
They mentioned they have been working with the airline’s administration to renew regular operations after conducting security and upkeep checks, however couldn’t present a date for when that may be.
Air Vanuatu operates 4 planes between the nation’s islands, which rely closely on tourism, and to Australia, New Zealand and different South Pacific island nations.
EY mentioned its appointment adopted a difficult interval for the worldwide aviation business, together with labour shortages, in addition to rising working prices and disruption from excessive climate. Tourism accounts for a couple of third of the nation’s economic system, in accordance with the Australia Pacific Islands Enterprise Council.
The outlook for the airline is constructive, regardless of pressures on the broader business, and Air Vanuatu is a “strategically important nationwide provider”, EY mentioned in a press release.
The primary assembly of collectors will likely be scheduled shortly, whereas the present administration crew will stay in place, it added.
Australian provider Qantas Airways mentioned it was supporting its codeshare passengers who have been booked on Air Vanuatu flights, whereas the Vanuatu Tourism Workplace mentioned discussions have been below manner with Virgin Australia and Fiji Airways about flying stranded passengers to their locations.
