Summary
- Solomon Airlines will receive its second Airbus A320 next week, which will be used for commercial services, charters, and leases to support other Pacific Island nations.
- The airline is not worried about competition from Qantas, as it believes its loyal customer base and strong growth will continue to drive success.
The Solomon Islands comprises six main islands and around 900 smaller ones located west of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia in Melanesia. Its national carrier is Solomon Airlines which connects the islands and operates international services to Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji.
An exciting week ahead for Solomon Airlines
Solomon Airlines is in the news because its Chairman, Frank Wickham, confirmed late last week that the airline will receive its second Airbus A320 next Thursday, July 27th. Speaking to the SIBC News (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Commission), he said that the current demand for commercial and charter [services] means it is the right time for Solomon Airlines to add the A320. He added:
“At the outset I wish to acknowledge and thank the CEO Mr Gus Kraus and his Executive Team and staff for the strong teamwork and progress they have made over the past months. Their work has positioned the airline strongly to go forward. Overall, earnings from passenger revenue is pleasing and further supplemented by the recent routes established in partnership with Air Vanuatu.”
Photo: Solomon Airlines
According to flightradar24.com, Solomon Airlines has four aircraft in its fleet, including one Airbus A320-200, one De Havilland DHC-8-100 and two DHC-6-300 Twin Otters. It also has Twin Otter operating on a wet lease to Air Vanuatu as that carrier rebuilds its domestic operations.
The existing Airbus A320, registered H4-SIB with MSN 2445, was first delivered to New Zealand’s Freedom Air in 2005 and later operated by TAM Linhas Aereas and Air New Zealand before rejoining Solomon Airlines in March 2020. The incoming A320-200, now registered H4-SAL with MSN 5566, started its operational life with Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar in April 2013.
Photo: Sudpoth Sirirattanasakul | Shutterstock
It was withdrawn from service with Jetstar in November last year, and after being stored in the Philippines, it will be delivered to Solomon Airlines next week. The aircraft has a one-class configuration of 180 seats, while the other A320 has 12 business and 132 economy seats for a lower capacity of 144 seats.
Not worried about the QF competition
Wickham said that the second A320 will be used on a mix of commercial services, charters and leases, including supporting other Pacific Island nations such as Vanuatu and Samoa. Another opportunity is the new code-shared Honiara-Vila-Auckland service and the Brisbane-Santo flights, which are both experiencing rising demand.
Photo: Seth Jaworski/Shutterstock
Australian flag carrier Qantas is resuming direct flights to the Solomon Islands in October, although Wickham seems confident he has their measure by saying, “It’s a smaller plane, maybe they’re testing first then later bring in a bigger plane.”
“We are informed they’ve put their airfares just below ours with this we’re looking forward to loyalty because Fiji Airways is cheaper than us but our plane gets filled more than theirs. Back in the 90s and 2000s Virgin flew in and they were providing competition for eight years and Solomon Airlines still continued, so we’re not scared of competition.”
He also sees an opportunity in Samoa and explained that some chartered bookings for the A320 had to be dropped and could not be considered because of that aircraft’s commercial flight schedule. The airline has been experiencing strong growth for both international and domestic flights this year, and in June it exceeded the passenger numbers of pre-COVID June 2019.
Source: SIBC, Flightradar24.com