Solomon Airlines Boosts Airbus A320 Connections In The Pacific

Solomon Airlines is making a significant investment to keep Pacific connections open and launching a new route between Honiara and Papua New Guinea.

While many nations and hundreds of islands are scattered across the Pacific, it is also a region where individual nations come together and help each other in times of trouble. Tourism is the region’s lifeblood, so keeping international connections open is vital for island economies, business, trade and family reasons, which Solomon Airlines is now stepping up to deliver.

More connections for Vanuatu

Yesterday, the Solomon Islands’ national carrier announced it is adding more air bridges in the Pacific by increasing scheduled services between Vanuatu and New Zealand and commencing scheduled flights to Papua New Guinea. This follows the announcement on May 24 that Solomon Airlines (Solomons) was launching scheduled direct flights from Vanuatu to Auckland from May 27, 2024.

Last week, Solomon Airlines CEO Sean T’eo said the airline is committed to ensuring easy flight access for its people, visitors, friends, seasonal workers and corporate travelers who need to move within the region. He also said the airline remains committed to working in partnership with the Vanuatu Government and current administrators to provide support as the country works toward the return of Air Vanuatu.

The weekly service from Vanuatu’s Port Vila Bauerfield Airport (VLI) to Auckland connects with inbound and outbound flights from the Solomon Islands, boosting connectivity between the three nations. Solomons flight IE722 departs from Honiara International (HIR) at 14:50 and lands in Port Vila at 16:50, with flight IE710 departing at 17:50 and arriving at Auckland Airport (AKL) at 22:05. The return service leaves Auckland the next day at 12:00 and retraces its steps to arrive back in Honiara at 17:15.

Photo: Solomon Airlines

The Port Vila to Auckland service currently operates on Mondays, and from June 19, Solomons is adding an additional weekly service on Wednesdays, following the same schedule as the existing flights. The flights will be operated by Solomons Airlines aircraft and currently are flown with one of the two Airbus A320-200s in the fleet, registrations H4-SAL and H4-SIB.

The connections to New Zealand will step up a notch on October 4 when Solomons launches a third weekly flight between Port Vila and Auckland on Fridays, operating to the same timetable. The entire route connects the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Zealand both ways, ensuring consistent connectivity between the three countries.

New route to Papua New Guinea

Away from helping out Vanuatu, Solomons is also commencing a new route from Honiara to the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. Starting from July 1, 2024, the airline will commence a Monday return service from Honiara to Port Moresby Jacksons International Airport (POM). Flight IE724 will depart Honiara HIR at 08:20 and arrive in Port Moresby at 09:35, departing as IE725 at 10:35 to arrive in the Solomon Islands at 13:50, connecting through to Brisbane.

Photo: Solomon Airlines

Solomons is making a significant commitment to the route by already announcing it will go twice weekly in October. From October 4, it will add a second weekly return service between Honiara and Port Moresby on Fridays, operating to the same schedule as the Monday flights.

Solomons is also making changes to improve connections between Brisbane and Munda, the largest settlement on the island of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. From October 4, 2024, Solomon Airlines flight IE706 from Honiara to Australia’s Brisbane Airport (BNE) will shift from Tuesdays to Saturdays, providing direct connectivity from Solomon’s flight IE715 from Brisbane to Munda to Honiara.

This means that travelers returning from Munda can travel directly to Brisbane on flight IE706, an Airbus A320 service that departs Honiara on Saturdays at 18:15 and arrives in Queensland at Brisbane Airport at 20:30. Solomons turns 62 this year and is one of the oldest airlines in the Pacific region, and is certainly playing a vital role in keeping the Pacific region connected.

Source: Simple Flying