No mail for Tonga, after airline collapse leads to aircargo backlog [1]
Friday, May 21, 2004 - 14:58. Updated on Monday, May 5, 2014 - 11:20.
Tonga has not received any international mail this week, while about forty bags of Tongan mail are still stranded in Air New Zealand's cargo office in Auckland, following the collapse of Royal Tongan Airlines, which used to share the mail load.
There was no cargo space for the mail on the Air New Zealand flight last night (May 20).
'Atipolo Faka'osi, Chief Officer of the Tonga Post Office's mail room, confirmed that they had not received any mail from Auckland this week, the route which carries international mail for Tonga from all over the world. They were hoping that some of the mail would arrive on the next flight to Tonga on Saturday May 22.
He said that since the termination of the Royal Tongan Airline...s International service on April 22 they were currently experiencing great difficulties with their mail because now they had to rely on Air New Zealand. He was hopeful that at least 20 bags could be flown in weekly.
However, the Post Office usually handles about 40 bags of mail from Auckland weekly, and it used to be flown in by both by Royal Tonga Airlines on Mondays and Thursdays and on Air New Zealand on Thursday night and Saturday.
"Before mails were one of the important priorities of airlines now it is not quite so as passengers and luggage are taking over entirely, especially now it is close to church conferences and the Heilala Week," said 'Atipolo.
Under the current situation Tongans will be lucky to get their mail once a week, and there could be a mounting backlog.