Airline Tonga suspends operations indefinitely

I think this needs to be known asop.

[http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=41649]

Horrible situation. However, I'm not that surprised. Domestiv air service in Tonga has been fairly unreliable for the past several yrs, as has been duly noted here on the TT.

Chathams Air, the remaining carrier, seems like a better airline, let's hope it can maintain its service.

Apparently Air Fiji is (or at least was) in some trouble too. There are/were the main partner in Airline Tonga.

[http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=41635]

My condolences to anyone thinking of holidaying in Tonga in the near future, and my most heartfelt commiserations to tourism operators in the Kingdom, and of course to those whose are there now and have their holidays ruined.

What a screwed up place to try and make a living!

I predict another all-expense paid trip to Europe for the King shortly....

I doubt that this has anything to do with the king. That was another airline (and another king). Same country though.

Their indefinite suspension of services might have been a rather premature measure (or they used it as a lever in a dispute). The latest news item says that they will resume operations soon.

Point taken-my post was vague and written in haste.

What I was trying to say is that even with a new King nothing has changed-the airlines just received an influx of capital from selling 40% of it's shares to a prominent Tongan businessman and now this happens-it's beyond demeaning for the country.

A person might ask what does this have to do with the King?

The fact that a disgraceful and chaotic situation like this has been allowed to happen only days after King George's coronation shows that the country is a disgraceful shambles and that people regard the King as little more than a clown/jester/lightweight.

I am surprised to find me 'defending' the king, but I really think that this mess comes from Air Fiji. They had exactly the same situation in Fiji only that there it was stated to be a temporary problem.
So in my view this is not a specifically Tongan problem.

Further Developments-Or Not (!)

AIRLINE TONGA STRUGGLES IN RED
Company executives hard to find

NUKUALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Aug. 31, 2008) – Airline Tonga, one of the two airlines operating Tonga's domestic air service is facing financial problems, according to the Minister for Transport, Hon. Paul Karalus.

He said that an urgent meeting was scheduled on August 29 but no one from Airline Tonga attended and they could not find anyone from Airline Tonga to elaborate on what was happening with the airline.

(PIR editor’s note: Airline Tonga, one of two domestic air carriers in Tonga, suspended service on Aug. 23, stranding a handful of passengers in Vava'u and Ha'apai.)

The Minister said that another meeting has been scheduled for this week.

Meanwhile, Chatham Pacific has put on additional services to the outer islands to cater for Airline Tonga passengers who were affected by this sudden suspension.

Matangi Tonga: www.matangitonga.to

That doesn't look good indeed and more concerns are being raised.

I checked out about Air Fiji and there are virtually out of service as well at present which is quite serious too for the only connection to Tuvalu.

I looks like they are just not able to pay their fuel bill.

We got caught up in this mess and I can tell you that there were plenty of worried tourist and locals in Vava'u who couldn't get out because of Airline Tonga. Though we were lucky to get seats on Chathams Pacific who did every thing possible to get people who were stranded by Airlines Tonga a seat so they could catch there international flights in Tongatapu even put on some extra fights to help get people out. ( though some people did get stuck for a day or two)
The one odd but positive thing was that we were able to get a refund from Airlines Tonga which was a nice surprise.