Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, who is chairman of the Board for Lulutai Airlines, told a press conference last Friday that a new aircraft for Tonga’s domestic service, a de-Havilland Twin-Otter, had touched down in Australia for final preparations ahead of its entry into service in Tonga.
It was expected to arrive in Tonga last month, but due to “legal reasons” the process of releasing the new aircraft from China was slower than expected.
The Prime Minister said that efforts were being made to finish the aircraft by November or before the holiday travel season reached its peak.
Lulutai Airlines have been in the news recently, not only due to complaints about poor service due to aircraft mechanical problems, but most recently due to questions concerning the purchase of the new de-Havilland Twin Otter plane the Prime Minister referred to in his press conference last week.
A letter to Lulutai Airlines CEO Poasi Tei is alleged to have been leaked to a Member of Parliament. The letter claims that $14 million dollars were paid in two separate amounts to an overseas company for the purchase of the Twin-Otter plane.
This is an amount that was not in the budget for 2023/2024, and it was alleged there was no transparency with Parliament for the payment of such a large amount of money by Government.
However, the Prime Minister said that a milestone had been achieved with the delivery. “This new aircraft is a much-needed boost to our current fleet and will help us keep families, communities, tourism operator and businesses connected.”
The Government of Australia is providing AUD$1.25 million to support the entry into service of the aircraft.
Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, HE Rachael Moore said Australia is proud to partner with the Kingdom of Tonga to support Lulutai Airlines achieve reliable, sustainable, and safe domestic connectivity.
In a joint press statement by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Australian High Commission, HE Rachael Moore said: “The entry into service support will ensure Lulutai Airlines can start operating their new aircraft as soon as it arrives in Tonga. Reliable domestic air travel remains essential to Tonga’s economic recovery, development and tourism.”
Australia has been providing support to Lulutai Airlines since mid-2022 and to date has supported critical training for pilots and engineers, a wet-lease arrangement with Fiji Airways to operate regular flights while their fleet was grounded for maintenance, as well as regional cooperation and collaboration with other Pacific Island airlines.
