Airline turns back Vanuatu flight

Flights halted due to renewed runway concerns

VANUATU – Virgin Australia turned back a flight from Brisbane to Port Vila on Monday, and cancelled another, due to new concerns that Vanuatu’s international airport runway had deteriorated since emergency repairs earlier this year.

“Flight VA171 between Brisbane and Port Vila returned to Brisbane and VA170 was cancelled after we became aware that the state of the runway had deteriorated,” the airline said in a statement on Monday.

“A full inspection will be carried out by Virgin Australia engineers on Tuesday prior to a determination as to whether services to Vanuatu can continue.

“Safety is always our number one priority and we do apologise for the inconvenience.”

In tweets responding to passenger queries on Tuesday, Virgin was unable to give a definitive date for the re-establishment of the Port Vila service.

Statements released by Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL) and national carrier Air Vanuatu said AVL maintenance teams had identified and repaired the effected area, and AVL was consulting with all airlines flying into Bauerfield.

“Air Vanuatu inspected the work and advised it was completed to our satisfaction,” the national carrier said.

“Air Vanuatu has arranged for an independent assessor to inspect the entire runway and provide another thorough update this week.”

Qantas and Air New Zealand suspended flights to the Pacific tourist destination in January, with Virgin suspending its services a few days later.

Qantas has subsequently discontinued its code share agreement with Air Vanuatu, and Air New Zealand has discontinued its service.

Current Prime Minister Charlot Salwai promised to fix the airport runway as a priority in his first 100 days in office. A ceremony was held in May following the completion of critical repairs that saw Virgin return.

Delays in the maintenance and upgrade of the Bauerfield International Airport have prooved politically poisonous for years, with former prime minister Joe Natuman telling parliament in 2014 he feared the International Civil Aviation Organisation could shut it down at short notice.

The most recent suspensions have been a huge blow to Vanuatu’s tourism industry, which is still reeling from the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Pam last year.

Tourism accounts for about 20 per cent of the nation’s economy.

- ABC