Australia, New Zealand carriers halt Vanuatu flights over runway safety concerns

Qantas Airways and Air New Zealand have suspended flights to Vanuatu due to safety concerns about its airport runway, a likely blow to tourism and the Pacific island nation’s recovery efforts after a cyclone last year.

Virgin Australia, however, said it would continue to fly to Port Vila, after its investigators examined the runway over the weekend and deemed it safe.

Australia and New Zealand account for the bulk of visitors to Vanuatu, which relied on tourism for more than a third of its GDP last year, government data shows. In March, the island was ravaged by Cyclone Pam, which wiped out more than 90 per cent of its crops and disrupted the lives of most of its population.

Air New Zealand, which flew once a week from Auckland to Port Vila, said it had sent its last flight on Sunday. “Weather and jet engine activity are resulting in loose material on the runway,” spokeswoman Janna Wilkinson added.

In a statement, Qantas said it had cancelled a codeshare agreement that included selling tickets for local carrier Air Vanuatu over concerns about the condition of the runway.

“It would be worse than Cyclone Pam if any more carriers stop flying,” Bryan Death, the chairman of the Vanuatu Hotels and Resorts Association, told Reuters by telephone, adding that a snap election on Friday had complicated efforts to secure government funding for the airport repairs.