Results for Business

Tonga has been struggling during the past few years to get its domestic air services to operate efficiently. Tevita Palu, owner of Real Tonga Airlines, said that the grounding of the MA60 and the sudden termination by government of their lease agreement has plunged his operation into a more difficult situation.

The price of petrol and diesel for Tonga increases for April-May 2015 by a few seniti, while the kerosene price drops starting 16 April.

Tonga’s domestic MA60 aircraft gifted from China is expected to start flying domestically this month operated by a second carrier named “Royal Tongan Airlines”.

The ownership of the La’a Lahi Solar Farm in Neiafu was today transferred from the Government of Tonga to Tonga Power Ltd., a public enterprise in Nuku’alofa.

Robert Matthews from Australia has been appointed as the new CEO of the Tonga Power Ltd starting in Nuku'alofa on 9 March for the next three-years.

Tonga has signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture that promotes food security. on 16 March.

The Tanoa Hotel Group from Fiji will take over Tonga's International Dateline Hotel for redevelopment this year, aiming to transform the seafront hotel and reopen as Tanoa Dateline in mid-2017, with a Tongan four star standard.

Although Free Trade Agreements with trading partners provide opportunities for market access for Pacific Islands products, generally businesses in Tonga lack awareness of the rules, says Viliame Rova who facilitated a workshop this week in Nuku'alofa.

A Tonga government review has stated that Tonga has fallen behind in three Millennium Development Goals: poverty eradication, gender equality and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which are at a “crisis level”.