air services

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman Weibur has asked Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni to sign an air services agreement.

Loughman said such an agreement could come into effect in a “post Covid” world.

Vanuatu's Covid travel restrictions will be lifted on 1 July.

Weibur said the proposal would entail a “a win-win for our national airlines and governments, post-COVID.”

Such an agreement would allow Air Vanuatu to ensure that fares between the two Island nations, Australia and New Zealand would remain stable.

The airline recently won the bid to operate the MA60 after a previous lease between the two was terminated in February after the 56-seater plane was grounded.

Real Tonga's chief executive Tevita Palu says the company is now waiting on the government to certify the aircraft but he hopes to use it for international routes.

"There is nothing stopping us from doing that. The aeroplane, the MA60, it was not capable of doing that route before so hopefully this time round the aircraft will be certified to serve those routes."