Airline boosts flights to help some stranded Air Vanuatu passengers
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Fiji Airways is boosting its flights to Vanuatu as the newly-appointed voluntary liquidators of Air Vanuatu work to find out how long stranded passengers will have to wait for re-booked flights.
The Fijian airline has increased its capacity by offering a bigger plane to fly between Nadi and Port Villa on various flights this month and it is working on ways to assist non-Fiji citizens with Air Vanuatu tickets.
“Tourists and Fijians who want to return home can rest assured there will be enough flights and seats to cater for everyone,” Fiji Airways chief executive Andre Viljoen said.
Morgan Kelly, Justin Walsh and Andrew Hanson of Ernst and Young Australia were appointed as voluntary liquidators after the Vanuatu government placed the airline into liquidation.
They will conduct safety and maintenance checks before resuming normal operations.
“We have to ground the fleet to make sure the fleet’s compliant with international regulations,” Kelly told Today.
“We’re going to reach out to all affected travellers today and try to rebook them as soon as possible.”
Kelly said the liquidation team had arrived in Vanuatu yesterday.
“Certainly this has happened very, very quickly,” he said.
But he admitted he was not sure at this stage how many would-be travellers had been affected, nor how long it would be before they could resume their journey.
“Air Vanuatu is critical to the people of the Republic of Vanuatu and a strategically important business to the nation,” Kelly said in an earlier statement.
“Our team is working closely with management to ensure continuity of service to customers and to ensure services continue as seamlessly as possible.
“The outlook for the airline is positive, despite pressures on the broader industry, and we will be focused on securing the future of this strategically vital national carrier.
The first meeting of creditors will be scheduled shortly.
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