Tonga calls for regional airline

Tonga's Prime Minister has called for Pacific nations to work together in the hope of forming a regional airline.

'Akilisi Pohiva attended his first Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Port Moresby last week.

Mr Pohiva says it was a good chance to observe regionalism at work.

However he says greater cooperation is also needed when it comes to the airways of the Pacific.

"Fiji, for example, has been exploiting smaller states in the Pacific like Tonga and other small states. I understand that each one of the Melanesian states, each one of them has an airline, but I think it is about time to work together and get some of the Polynesian states like Tahiti, Tahiti Nui, get them involved in the process."

Mr Pohiva says he would support the creation of both a regional airline and bank.