FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Air New Zealand's weekly air service between Auckland and Los Angeles via Nuku'alofa and Apia and return will end after its final flight next week, Tuesday, January 25.

Sue Gardiner the Manager of Forum Travel in Nuku'alofa told Matangi Tonga Online on January 19 that starting in February Tonga's Air New Zealand passengers bound for Los Angeles could be accommodated via the airline's direct Auckland to Los Angeles services.

This means that passengers to the USA will have to fly from Tonga to Auckland to catch the flight.

Passengers from the USA will have to fly to Auckland to catch a connecting flight to Tonga.

Terminated

The Auckland-Nuku'alofa-Apia-LA service was operating under a joint venture agreement whereby the service was supported financially by the governments of Tonga and Samoa.

Negotiation on a new three-year joint venture agreement was scheduled for 1 November 2010, but Air New Zealand stated recently that in October last year Tonga had informed the airline of its wish to terminate the joint venture agreement. Tonga did not want to continue to fund a service that was operating at a loss.

Meanwhile, Sue ]said that Air New Zealand is operating six return services to Nuku'alofa each week.

Other airlines

The two other international airlines serving Tonga are the Pacific Blue and Air Pacific.

Kaitu'u Fotu the Manager of the Pacific Blue office in Nuku'alofa said the carrier operates twice weekly flights to and from Auckland on Mondays and Thursdays.

He said their direct flight to Auckland connects passengers with ongoing flights to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Fiji's Air Pacific connects Tonga to and from Fiji and the United States.

Air Pacific currently has four flights to and from Fiji weekly, with Mondays and Fridays to Suva, and twice to Nadi on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Lavili Maka Manager of Air Pacific Tonga office said their Tuesday flight to Nadi has a connecting flight to Los Angeles.