By Tupou Vaipulu Jr.

While Tonga’s Civil Aviation Division (CAD) is still investigating the cause of the A3PUA aircraft accident, at Fua’amotu Domestic Airport a month ago, Lulutai Airlines, so far, has been unable to find a replacement aircraft to service high demand on the domestic inter-island routes during the holiday season.

Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, the chairman of the board of Lulutai Airlines, said on 5 January that the travelling public will just “have to make do” because the airline has difficulty in finding a plane to replace the 35-seater SAAB 340 that was damaged while taxiing.

“We had a difficult time to find a plane to lease or even to buy because during that time most of the airlines are using all the available planes. But the effort is still there to find a replacement plane.

“We even talked to Fiji Airways who provided substitution services to us before, [but] they simply couldn’t because the local demand was very high,” he told a media briefing at St George Government Building in Nuku’alofa on Friday afternoon.

About 2000 to 3000 seats per month were available when the SAAB 340 was operating its regular inter-island schedule

The SAAB 340 “A3PUA” was damaged when it hit a cement block on the side of the apron while taxiing at Fua’amotu Airport on 8 December 2023. Early reports [2] suggested that the right landing gear had collapsed.

The accident happened after the flight had aborted a landing at Vava’u and returned to Tongatapu with a full load of passengers.

Lulutai Airlines also has another aircraft out of service, the Y12. 

“Now we’re are working towards fixing the plane [the Y12] and wait until the investigation is finalized, which will determine our insurance,” said Hon. Hu'akavameiliku.

Only one aircraft, a new Twin Otter, delivered in October 2023, is still flying the domestic routes between Tongatapu to the outer islands.

“We just have to make do because that’s the only available service. Some people have to take the ferry but, we’re fortunate that there is still a plane, so we can now prioritize those who are flying overseas,” said the Prime Minister. “We need more captains so there can be more flights.”

Preliminary Air Accident Report

Because the accident happened during a scheduled flight and before the aircraft had shut down its engines, Tonga is required to instigate full air accident procedure under Annex 13 of the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

This requires that within 30 days after the accident, the investigation team must release a preliminary report to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.N.-related global agency overseeing commercial air travel. A final report is normally expected to follow before a year has passed and to be released to the public.

When asked if Tonga would file its preliminary report this weekend, the Prime Minister said that was up to the Civil Aviation Division.

“That’s up to the CAD because now the investigation is going on with Australia, who is currently working with them to finalize the report pe koeha me’a nae hoko.

“So once the investigation is done they will generate the report, they will put it out with the Civil Aviation Division and then us,” he said.

At the time of the accident, Lulutai Airlines was seeking a Quality and Safety Systems Manager to fill a vacancy.

When asked if it was difficult to produce the report without a Q&S Manager, the Prime Minister said: “There is a quality manager right now, but in terms of the investigation, that is for the CAD and the investigators from Australia, to determine not who is at fault but find what the root [cause] of the accident is.”