Invercargill International Airport?

On 31 October 2009 the Otago Daily Times reported that Invercargill Airport (IVC), located in the Southland, New Zealand, is looking at providing international facilities for Pacific Wings according to industry sources. The Australian airline would wet lease aircraft for any trans-Tasman services from Nauruan carrier Our Airline.

With the restart of international air services into Hamilton (HLZ) by Pacific Blue on 1 September 2009, currently New Zealand has six international airports. Air New Zealand plans to start the first trans-Tasman scheduled services into Rotorua (ROT) on 12 December 2009.

PIASA enters into force following ratification by Niue

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat web site indicates that the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement UPDATED (PIASA) entered into force on 13 October 2007 following ratification by a sixth Pacific Islands country, Niue.

The initial parties to the PIASA are the Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu (see also previous posting on 16 May 2007).

Niue signs the PIASA

The Fiji Daily Post reported on 19 March 2007 that Niue has signed the Pacific Islands Air Services Agreement (PIASA). The PIASA needs six countries to ratify it before it comes into force. So far it has been ratified by the Cook Islands, Nauru, Samoa and Tonga. Along with Niue, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have signed but have yet to ratify the treaty.

I attended the negotiation of this agreement in Fiji and Tonga.

Fiji-Nauru Air Services Agreement signed

On 26 January 2007 the Fiji Government announced the signing the day before of the first Air Services Agreement between it and Nauru.

Air Nauru, recently relaunched as Our Airline, has in the past operated scheduled services into Nadi (NAN), a significant hub for aviation activity in the South Pacific. Air Nauru was not able to operate beyond Nadi to New Zealand because Nauru and Fiji had not exchanged the necessary fifth freedom rights.