Direct flights from Samoa to Tonga will be resumed on 14 November, a Samoan locally-owned private airline Talofa Airways, announced.

The direct flights will be from Samoa to Vava'u in Tonga, with the twice weekly flights (Tuesdays and Fridays) from Tonga to Pago Pago in American Samoa, and from Tonga to Faleolo International Airport, the Samoa Observer reported.

The plans to re-commence direct flights to Tonga were revealed by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Talofa Airways, Toleafoa Captain Jeffrey Hunter.

Talofa Airways started its operations in August 2016. They recently added another aircraft to the airline's Twin Commander 690B fleet, which means they have three aircraft to operate their schedules.

Toleafoa said they were happy to finally have the new aircraft to help with their service, as they no longer had to worry about possible flight disruptions if one of the aircraft develops problems and needs to be serviced. 

"We needed this third aircraft to rule out any possibility of having flight disruptions because it affects not only our schedule but also it can have an impact on our travelling public."

The new Aero Commander, while being an addition to the local airline's Twin Commander 690B fleet, is a pressurised high-wing twin turboprop with a rugged design and “plenty of power”.

The non-stop flights from Samoa to Vava'u take about 1 hour 15 minutes.