| |||||||
Founded | 1959 | (as Polynesian Airlines)||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hubs | Faleolo International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 3 | ||||||
Destinations | 3 | ||||||
Parent company | Government of Samoa | ||||||
Headquarters | Apia, Samoa | ||||||
Key people | Peni (CEO) | ||||||
Website | https://samoaairways.com/ |
Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Samoa.
The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International operations were temporarily halted in 2005 and taken over by new airline Polynesian Blue (later Virgin Samoa), before resuming international flights under the new name of "Samoa Airways" in late 2017.
Samoa Airways is wholly owned by the government of Samoa and is based in the capital city of Apia, with its headquarters located in the Samoa Methodist Church Building on Beach Road and its primary hub at Faleolo International Airport. The airline presently operates short-haul flights within Samoa and American Samoa, however it no longer serves long-haul flights to Australia and New Zealand after the company ceased jet operations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline was established in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", [1] and started operations in August that year. By 1969 it was running daily flights to Pago Pago using a Douglas DC-3, as well as services to Tonga and Fiji using a chartered Hawker Siddeley HS 748. [2]
In 2005, the airline's international jet flights were taken over by Polynesian Blue, a new airline established as a joint venture between the government of Samoa and Australian low-cost carrier Virgin Blue. Both the Samoan government and Virgin Blue each held 49% ownership of the new airline with the remaining 2% held by a Samoan investment group. [3] The government of Samoa cited rising operating costs for Polynesian Airlines, which accounted for more than half of the government's annual budget, as one of the main reasons for suspending its international operations. However, Polynesian Airlines continued to operate turboprop flights in Samoa and American Samoa. [4] In 2011, Virgin Blue announced a rebranding of its airline group, with its Samoan subsidiary being renamed "Virgin Samoa". [5]
In 2017, the Samoan government announced that it was closing down Virgin Samoa, citing a lack of competitive fare pricing and disappointing performance. [6] [7] In its place, Polynesian Airlines would resume international flights with the new name of "Samoa Airways". [8] The state-owned Samoa Airways partnered with Fiji Airways to assist with international flight operations, [8] and wet-leased a Boeing 737-800 from Italian airline Neos in a deal brokered by Icelandair. [9] International flights recommenced on 14 November 2017, with Samoa Airways flying from Apia to Auckland. [10]
As of October 2020, Samoa Airways operates to the following destinations (including former destinations): [11]
Country/Territory | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Samoa | Fitiuta | Fitiuta Airport | ||
Ofu | Ofu Airport | |||
Pago Pago | Pago Pago International Airport | |||
Australia | Brisbane | Brisbane Airport | Terminated | |
Melbourne | Melbourne Airport | Terminated | ||
Sydney | Sydney Airport | Terminated | ||
Cook Islands | Rarotonga | Rarotonga International Airport | Terminated | |
Fiji | Nadi | Nadi International Airport | Terminated | |
French Polynesia | Papeete | Fa'a'ā International Airport | Terminated | |
Samoa | Apia | Fagali'i Airport | ||
Faleolo International Airport | Hub | |||
Savai'i | Maota Airport | [12] | ||
New Zealand | Auckland | Auckland Airport | Terminated | |
Wellington | Wellington Airport | Terminated | [1] | |
Niue | Alofi | Niue International Airport | Terminated | |
Tonga | Nuku'alofa | Fua'amotu International Airport | Terminated | |
United States | Honolulu | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | Terminated | |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles International Airport | Terminated | ||
Samoa Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: Fiji Airways [13]
The Samoa Airways fleet comprises the following aircraft as of August 2021: [14] [15] [16]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Y | Total | ||||
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter | 3 | 1 | — | 19 | 19 | |
Total | 3 | 1 |
A Boeing 737 MAX 9 was ordered and was to be delivered in April 2019, [17] however the order was cancelled in the wake of the March 2019 worldwide Boeing 737 MAX groundings.[ citation needed ]
As Polynesian Airlines, the airline previously operated the following aircraft: [18] [19]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-200 | 1 | 1987 | 1992 | Leased from Ansett Australia |
Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 1981 | 1987 | |
Boeing 737-300 | 1 | 1999 | 1999 | Leased from Qantas |
1 | 2001 | 2001 | ||
Boeing 737-300QC | 1 | 1993 | 1994 | |
Boeing 737-800 | 2 | 2000 | 2006 | |
Boeing 767-200ER | 1 | 1994 | 1994 | Leased from Kuwait Airways |
Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | 1993 | 1994 | Leased from Air Canada |
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | 3 | 1969 | 2011 | |
de Havilland Canada 8-100 | 1 | 2004 | 2007 | |
Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 3 | 1963 | 1970 | |
Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 1 | 1968 | 1969 | |
GAF Nomad | 1 | 1978 | 1987 | |
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 2 | 1972 | 1982 | |
Percival Prince | 3 | 1959 | 1963 | |
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main and largest airport in Hawaii. The airport is named after Honolulu native and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye, who represented Hawaii in the United States Senate from 1963 until his death in 2012. The airport is in the Honolulu census-designated place 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Honolulu's central business district. The airport covers 4,220 acres (1,710 ha), more than 1% of Oahu's land.
Aloha Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated passenger flights from 1946 until 2008. It was headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating from its hub at Honolulu International Airport.
Faaʻa International Airport, also known as Tahiti International Airport, is the international airport of French Polynesia, located in the commune of Faaa, on the island of Tahiti. It is situated 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Papeete, the capital city of the overseas collectivity. It opened in 1960. Regional air carrier Air Tahiti and international air carrier Air Tahiti Nui are both based at the airport.
Fiji Airways, formerly Air Pacific, is the flag carrier of Fiji. It operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 27 destinations, and has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners, including Qantas, who also own a stake in the airline.
Royal Tongan Airlines was the national airline of Tonga until liquidation in 2004. It was a government agency and operated interisland services and international routes.
Surinam Airways, also known by its initials SLM, is the flag carrier of Suriname, based in Paramaribo. It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (Zanderij). Surinam Airways is wholly owned by the Government of Suriname.
Virgin Samoa, formerly Polynesian Blue, was the flag carrier of Samoa. It was owned by Virgin Australia Holdings (49%), the Government of Samoa (49%) and Grey Investment Group (2%). Polynesian Blue took over the long haul flights which were operated by Polynesian Airlines. In December 2011 Polynesian Blue was renamed Virgin Samoa. It ceased operations on 12 November 2017.
Inter Island Airways was an American Samoan airline based in Pago Pago. It operated passenger and cargo flights in and between American Samoa, Samoa and neighboring Pacific island countries. Its main base of operations was at Pago Pago International Airport.
Nigeria Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Nigeria Airways, was a one-time Nigerian airline. The company was founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation (WAAC). It held the name West African Airways Corporation Nigeria until 1971, when it was renamed, until it ceased operations in 2003. The government of Nigeria owned a majority of the airline (51%) until 1961, when it boosted its shareholding in the company to 100% and made it the country's flag carrier. At the time of dissolution, the airline's headquarters were at Airways House in Abuja. Operations were concentrated at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and served both domestic and international destinations mainly concentrated in West Africa; the network also had points in Europe, North America and Saudi Arabia. The airline was managed by a number of foreign companies, including British Airways, KLM and South African Airways.
Pago Pago International Airport, also known as Tafuna Airport, is a public airport located 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Faleolo International Airport is an airport located 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Apia, the capital of Samoa. Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737. Services to the United States, Australia, or New Zealand, could only land at Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa. Since the airport's expansion, most international traffic now uses Faleolo.
South Pacific Island Airways (SPIA) was an airline operating flights in the Pacific including American Samoa and Hawaii with service to the west coast of U.S. and Canada as well as to Alaska, New Zealand, Guam and Tahiti from 1973 to 1987. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the carrier in 1984, when it almost flew a charter flight into the airspace of the Soviet Union. SPIA was allowed to continue operations after some management changes were made at the airline, but was grounded again in 1985 due to some allegedly questionable dealings involving engine hush kits for its Boeing 707 jetliners. South Pacific continued to operate limited services until it ceased all operations in 1987.
Myanmar National Airlines, formerly Union of Burma Airways, Burma Airways, and Myanma Airways, is a state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Myanmar, based in Yangon. Founded in 1948, the airline operates scheduled services to all major domestic destinations and to regional destinations in Asia. Its main base is Yangon International Airport.
Satapuala is a village situated on the north west coast Upolu island in Samoa. The village is part of A'ana Alofi 4 Electoral Constituency which forms part of the larger political district A'ana. It has a population of 1963.
Fagaliʻi or Fagaliʻi-uta is a village on the island of Upolu in the Samoa archipelago approximately 5 kilometres south-east of Apia. It is in the electoral constituency of Vaimauga East which forms part of the larger political district of Tuamasaga.
Sapa'u Ruperake Petaia is a poet and writer from Samoa. His poem Blue Rain became the title of a collection of his poems first published in 1980 with later editions in the 1990s. The collection included the satirical poem Kidnapped (1974) which explores themes about the loss of traditional Samoan knowledge. Like other Samoan writers such as Albert Wendt, Petaia's work explores themes about the effects of colonialism and Western influences on Samoan culture and society.
Fagaliʻi Airport(IATA: FGI, ICAO: NSFI) is a disused airport located in Fagaliʻi, Samoa. It has operated intermittently since 1970.
Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ) Limited formerly Pacific Blue Airlines (NZ) Limited, was an airline based in New Zealand. It was established as the New Zealand subsidiary of Australian airline Virgin Blue. It was a fully owned subsidiary of Virgin Australia Holdings. It was renamed Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ) Ltd in December 2011 when its parent company decided to bring all its airlines under the one banner.
Talofa Airways is a Samoan airline that offers flights within the Polynesian region. It started operations in August 2016 using two Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander aircraft. Talofa Airways is the third airline based in Samoa, after Samoa Air and Polynesian Airlines.