Over 15 airlines and aviation counterparts from the region and far North of the world are attending a three days regional meeting of the 69^th Association of the South Pacific Airlines (ASPA) held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga this week, 10 – 12 October.

Attending are airline operators from Qantas, Air New Zealand and Virgin, along with aircraft manufacturers, aircraft leasing agents, airports operators, insurance agents, banks, aviation experts, and spare part dealers from Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

The theme of the meeting is “Carbon Offset Reduction for International Airlines – Good for the environment and beneficial for airlines”.

ASPA Secretary General, George Faktaufon, said the focus was the environment but there were other airline issues for discussion such as digital communications, technology, marketing, and e-marketing.

“ASPA meetings are held twice a year and we are happy to be back in Tonga since our last regional meeting in 2004,” he said

Tonga counterparts attending the meeting are Tonga Airports Limited, Real Tonga Airline and Air Terminal Services (Tonga) Limited. 

Tevita Palu, Chief Executive Officer of Tonga’s sole domestic carrier, Real Tonga Airline, said that since the launch of its international flight to Samoa in June that business was slow on that route. “Flights to Apia, Samoa via Vava’u are very slow with picking up sales.” 

In the past, there had been flights from Tonga to the United States of America via the Apia route, but Tevita commented that this “is not viable” at the moment.

“There isn’t enough demand to put on a flight direct to L.A., [as we] will need 400 passengers for both ways,” he said.