Airlines suspend flights to island of Vanuatu over runway safety fears

Qantas and Air New Zealand have halted all flights, but Virgin Australia is still operating services

Qantas has halted its codeshare services with Air Vanuatu with immediate effect (AFP/Getty Images)

Two major airlines have suspended all flight services to the island of Vanuatu following concerns over the conditions of the country’s international runway, though Virgin Australia has decided to keep services running.

The island nation of Vanuatu has had a tumultuous year; it was forced to hold snap elections last week to instate a new parliament after 14 MPs were jailed for corruption and in March last year it was left devastated by Cyclone Pam, which destroyed homes and crops affecting more than 180,000 people.

Now Air New Zealand has suspended flights in and out of Vanuatu’s Port Vila International Airport due to the “deteriorating” runway. Executives on Friday decided to take preventative action “before the situation becomes unsafe,” general manager of flight operations Stephen Hunt told news.com.au.

The airline runs a weekly service between Auckland and Vanuatu and codeshares with national carrier Air Vanuatu.

Qantas has also suspended its services through its codeshare agreement with Air Vanuatu over the runway concerns.

Virgin Australia is still running services however, as is Air Vanuatu, after a team of safety experts carried out a review of the airport’s runway over the weekend.

“Following this review, we have concluded that currently our aircraft can continue to safely operate in and out of Port Vila,” a Virgin Australia spokeswoman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We continue to monitor the condition of the runway and Virgin Australia will immediately cease all operations between Australia and Port Vila if we are not convinced the runway is suitable for on-going operations.”

Air Vanuatu’s chief executive, shareholder representatives, senior management and pilots met with the country’s civil aviation authority over the weekend to implement a plan to continue jet operations at the airport.

The national carrier said several extra safety precautions have now been put in place until permanent repair at the aerodrome begins, including daily sweeping of the runway and regular inspections prior to and after take-off. A total of 200m of runway is to be marked for urgent repair.