Embraer gone?
Solomon Star)
Solomon Airlines international flights remained suspended yesterday because the financially-struggling airline has not met lease payments for its Embraer 170 jet, the Solomon Star reported.
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The newspaper said the Australian company the plane is leased from, SkyAirWorld, grounded the plane in Brisbane on Friday.
It said Solomon Airlines has to pay up before flights can resume.
The plane is the airline's only international jet. Its loss forced the cancellation of Brisbane-Honiara-Brisbane and Honiara-Nadi (Fiji)-Honiara flights.
The new chairman of the Solomon Airlines board, Central Bank Governor Rick Hou, did not return telephone messages left for him in an attempt to get comment.
Hou was appointed to head a new-look board brought in to try and solve the Government-owned airline’s continuing financial problems.
Airline chief executive Ron Sumsum, when contacted, said a written statement would be issued. But this had not yet been received, the Solomon Star said.
From Brisbane SkyAirWorld chief executive David Charlton confirmed that the company has stopped use of the E-170.
“We are suspending flights until payments are made,” Charlton said.
Charlton said as soon as the payments are made, Solomon Airlines can resume its flights.
He could not reveal how much Solomon Airlines owes them. But it is believed to be a substantial amount.
Charlton also revealed that this is the second time that the company had suspended services because of non-payment of lease fees.
Earlier, when services were suspended, Solomon Airlines said that the plane had encountered technical problems.
Passengers stranded in Fiji on Saturday are believed to have been brought to Honiara on an Air Niugini flight.
The Solomon Star reported this week that the Government has paid $22 million to support Solomon Airlines since it leased the E-170 this year. The Brazilian-built jet replaced a Boeing 737-300 the airline had previously leased for its international flights.
The airline’s financial woes came to light in June when staff salaries were paid three days late.
There have been constant capacity problems with the E-170, with luggage, freight and passengers offloaded because of weight limitations.
Meanwhile, there are reports a team from Air Vanuatu is coming to Honiara this week to discuss the launch of a Honiara-Port Vila-Brisbane and return service.
Air Vanuatu general manager Terry Kerr confirmed they were planning to fly a Honiara-Port Vila route some time later in the year.
Air Vanuatu plans to start operating a 185-seat Boeing 737-800 from January, replacing its present 135-seat Boeing 737-300.
Asked if Air Vanuatu would lease a 76-seat E-170 aircraft, Mr Kerr said “absolutely not”.
He said Air Vanuatu has opted to go the larger Boeing 737-800 as passenger numbers in the region are continually increasing.
“We felt to go to a smaller aircraft would not make any sense at all apart from obvious operating limitations that EMB 170 would have on our routes such as weight limitations,” he said.