Low clouds disrupted air service to Vava'u [1]
Monday, November 16, 2009 - 18:10. Updated on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 - 21:58.
The Chatham Pacific Airline was allowed to make two special flights between Tongatapu and Vava'u on Sunday November 15 after low cloud forced cancelled of two Saturday flights.
The low lying clouds over Vava'u rendered poor visibility of the runway.
A Chatham Airline's Saturday afternoon flight for Vava'u returned to Tongatapu after several attempts to land at Lupepau'u Airport, and the 8pm Saturday evening flight was cancelled.
A special flight was rescheduled for 8 am unday but it was not cleared to fly to Vava'u until 9 am carrying visitors to Vava'u who were stranded in Tongatapu. These included delegates to the Tonga Energy Roadmap conference that is being held in Vava'u this week.
HM King George Tupou V who was also stranded in Vava'u, left for Nuku'alofa about mid-day on sunday in his private aircraft.