The application comes after Vanuatu’s national airline went into liquidation earlier this month.
Qantas is seeking to operate 1,796 passenger seats between Australia and Vanuatu, shared between both Qantas and its low-cost carrier Jetstar.
From August, the airline wants to run Qantas services on Boeing 737s with 175 seats and Embraer E190 aircraft which have 97 seats. From October, Jetstar flights are intended, on Airbus A321 NEO aircraft which have 232 seats.
The carrier has indicated it would operate up to five jet airliner services a week through Qantas and up to four services a week through Jetstar in periods of peak demand.
Qantas does not currently operate its own services to Vanuatu – it had a codeshare arrangement with Air Vanuatu – so if its application is approved, it would add more opportunity and competition between the two destinations.
The day after Air Vanuatu went into liquidation, Virgin Australia made an application to the International Air Services Commission to increase its capacity to Vanuatu.
Virgin already operates flights to Vanuatu and is currently the only Australian airline to do so.
Virgin’s application is for an additional seven services per week on Boeing B737 aircraft, with a slightly expanded capacity of 182 seats. The total capacity increase in its application is for 1,304 extra passenger seats per week. Virgin wishes to start the additional flights in July.
Vanuatu has capacity and desirability for small corporate meetings and incentives from Australia and with the collapse of Air Vanuatu, additional capacity from Australia is needed to ensure continued accessibility of the Pacific destination.
