New Caledonia’s domestic airline Air Calédonie filed for bankruptcy on Friday, following almost a month of blockades by customers in the French Pacific territory’s outer islands.

The protest movement had been initiated by groups of angry outer islands customers who intended to oppose the company’s decision to move Air Calédonie’s operations from the Nouméa Magenta airport to New Caledonia’s international La Tontouta base, more than 50 km away from Nouméa city.

The smaller airport of Magenta, until now dedicated to domestic traffic, is located closer to Nouméa.

• READ MORE: Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

The beginning of the protest movement, which effectively grounded all Air Calédonie aircraft, dates back to 2 March 2026.

The protesters are gathered under the name of “collective of users” and, on each participating island, are headed by local chiefs who are invoking custom rights.

In terms of law and order, and in defence of the principle of freedom of movement and “territorial continuity”, on the part of French State representatives, there have been no attempts to disrupt the movement by force.

But negotiations have been taking place with leaders in order to find a concerted way out of the blockades.

Economic stakeholders have also alerted authorities of the negative repercussions of the inter-island crisis, especially on tourism and hospitality-related businesses.

On some islands, views expressed range from an outright rejection of any aircraft landing, while others would accept the landing of aircraft from other airlines, but not from Air Calédonie.

Outer islands airports blockaded
Following weeks of blockade that have caused heavy losses for the company — dubbed “AirCal” — its board of directors, at a meeting on Friday in the capital Nouméa, decided to file for bankruptcy.

It said the current situation was no longer sustainable.

The blockade affected all of AirCal’s outer islands destinations, including the Loyalty Islands (Maré, Lifou, Ouvéa and Tiga) and the Isle of Pines (south of the main island of Grande Terre).

One of the options, if approved by a court, could allow a resumption of operations, if the process is deemed sustainable.

The company said under the proposed process, all debts would be frozen and provided it was allowed to resume inter-island flights, Air Calédonie could continue operating.

But if the plan is not approved by the judges, this could also mean an order for the company to go into receivership.

AirCal said the situation currently affected “almost 200 families”.

Vanuatu connection
Air Calédonie, in its embryonic form, started operations in the mid-1950s.

It currently operates a fleet of four turbo-prop ATR-72 aircraft.

Due to previous hardships faced recently (including the covid crisis, which also badly affected inter-islands operations), Air Calédonie had also entered into agreements with Air Vanuatu in October 2025  to lease one of its aircraft for the neighbouring archipelago’s domestic airlinks, including to and from the capital Port Vila and Vanuatu’s other main islands of Espiritu Santo (North) and Tanna (South).

In September 2024, a Nouméa-Port Vila bi-weekly link was also established under a codeshare agreement between Air Calédonie and Air Calédonie international aboard an ATR-72 aircraft.

At the time, the agreement was perceived as one step towards a possible merger of the two entities’ domestic and international operations, in a bid to save costs in the face of recent crises.

The recent crisis situation was also compounded by the riots that broke out in New Caledonia — mainly in the capital Nouméa and its surrounding area — in May 2024.

The unrest caused about 14 dead and material damage of over 2 billion euros (about NZ$ 4 billion) due to arson and looting.

But it also affected the capacity to operate domestic and international flights out of the airports of Nouméa La Tontouta and New Caledonia’s outer islands.

The plan to relocate Air Cal’s operations from Magenta to La Tontouta had been mooted by previous governments of New Caledonia, on the basis that if the move was not effected, then the company would not survive.

‘It looks as if someone wants the death of AirCal — Alcide Ponga
Commenting on the blockade, New Caledonia local government President Alcide Ponga was blunt. He told local media earlier this week: “It looks as if someone wants the death of AirCal.”

However, one of the blockaded small airports, on the Isle of Pines (South of Nouméa), announced earlier this week its intention to re-allow traffic, on the condition that Air Calédonie lands again at the small and nearby airport of Nouméa-Magenta and not at the main La Tontouta base.

The main shareholders of Air Calédonie are the government of New Caledonia and its three provinces (North, South and the Loyalty Islands group).

During heated debates on Thursday at New Caledonia’s Congress, politicians and board members from across the political chessboard called on the company to re-engage in negotiations to attempt an agreement to re-open all of the blockaded outer islands airfields and thus bring in fresh cash.

Another cash-generating option also envisaged by the company would be to persuade the board and stakeholders to set aside a financial package so that the company can go on operating.

Earlier this month, Air Calédonie was forced to put half of its staff into temporary unemployment mode, because the company’s financial situation (a cash flow estimated at only 3 million euros) did not allow any salary payment beyond April 2026.

Air Calédonie said it remained “mobilised to save a vital company for New Caledonia and design a viable recovery plan”.

A similar plan was already implemented in 2024 in the wake of the post-riots crisis.

Humanitarian special flights for patients
In recent days, New Caledonia’s government introduced the notion of humanitarian “sanitary corridors” in the form of special flights to transport selected patients in dire need of care to and from the outer islands and the capital Nouméa, at an estimated cost of some 13,500 euros (about NZ$27,000) per trip.

In the Loyalty Islands, several tourism and hospitality facilities have also suffered the brunt of the disruption of inter-island traffic.

Some of those have already been forced to either close down or enter into receivership.

No maritime alternative
The situation is further compounded by serious technical problems faced by the alternative means of inter-island transport — the ferry Betico has also been unable to operate, on a regular basis, over the past few months.

The ship is currently undergoing repairs to one of its engines and it announced tentative resumption of operations next week on April 3, the operating company said.

Until then, all trips to and from Nouméa have been cancelled.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

New Caledonia’s domestic carrier Air Calédonie is set to launch a biweekly international connection to neighbouring Vanuatu.

The new link is set to start operating from October 3 with two return flights, one on Mondays and the other on Thursdays.

The company said this followed a recent code-share agreement with New Caledonia’s international carrier Air Calédonie international (Air Calin).

• READ MORE: Other Kanaky New Caledonia crisis reports

The domestic company’s ATR 72-600 planes will be used to link Nouméa’s international La Tontouta airport to Port Vila, the company said.

Air Calédonie said the new agreement to fly to Vanuatu comes at a “difficult time”, almost four months after riots broke out in the French Pacific archipelago.

Seeking new markets
The ongoing unrest has made a huge negative impact on the economy and — because of long periods of curfew and state of emergency — has also heavily impacted domestic and international flights, causing in turn huge losses in business for the airlines.

“This new connection therefore is a vital opportunity to maintain employment and a sufficient level of business that are necessary to the company’s survival”, said Air Calédonie CEO Daniel Houmbouy, who also mentioned a “necessary capacity to adapt and evolve”.

New link to Paris
As part of a stringent cost-cutting exercise, Air Calin has had to cut staff numbers as well as reduce its regional connections.

It is also currently considering putting one of its aircraft on lease.

However, Air Calin is also preparing to launch a new direct Paris-Nouméa connection, via Bangkok, sometime in 2025, using a 291-seater Airbus A330-900neo on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The company is currently recruiting 12 pilots and 20 navigating flight assistants who would be based mainly in Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

Here again, the plan is directly connected to New Caledonia’s unrest and its impact on the economy.

“It’s all about continuing to generate an acceptable level of revenue to be able to bear fixed costs, in response to the consequences of the local economic context’s recent upsets”.

On a similar destination, Air Calin has also recently opened another connection via Singapore.

But regional routes have also been affected, sometimes suspended (Melbourne), sometimes significantly contracted (Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Papeete).

As part of the restructuration, the new long-haul route via Bangkok would effectively replace the older connection to Paris via Tokyo-Narita.

Collateral damage for fishing industry
This has already caused major concerns from local fishing industry stakeholders, especially those exporting extra fresh tuna directly to Japan by plane.

“This will directly threaten the future of our industry. The repercussions will be catastrophic both in terms of employment in our industry and for [New Caledonia’s] economy,” commented Mario Lopez, who heads local tuna fishing company Armement du Nord, writing on social networks.

He said what was at stake was “300 to 400 tonnes of yellowfin sashimi-grade tuna which until now were sent each year for auction on Japanese markets”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Domestic flights have been cancelled again in New Caledonia as a conflict between Air Calédonie and the workers’ union USTKE continues.

The carrier decided to cancel all flights today after last week’s disruptions and strikes over the status of a co-pilot. Some flights on Tuesday are also affected.

A meeting took place between the government, the province of the Loyalty islands, the USTKE (Union of Kanak and Exploited Workers) and Air Calédonie to reach a solution.

• READ MORE: Grève à Aircal : les syndicats campent sur leur position
• Other Air Calédonie aviation reports

The territorial government said that “the two institutions are given until August 20 at the latest to find a solution. While waiting, the USTKE has decided to suspend immediately the strike”.

The co-pilot Chrystelle Cejo is reported to have had “training gaps” because of problems caused by the pandemic, which resulted in the company Air Calédonie suspending her contract without renewal, according to the union.

A media release from the union said the company had communicated negative comments to other training instructors on Cejo’s flying capabilities.

Test flight cancelled
On the last stage of her flight training, the instructor gave Cejo one more month until the last test flight which he then cancelled at the last minute and fired her.

UTSKE officials said she should be allowed to resume work and have her contract renewed immediately.

A former pilot of Air Calédonie, Ronald Urene told La Premiere television he did not understand why the company had been “so harsh” on the Kanak pilot.

“There are some pilots that have done only four to five months of training, and to take the pilot that has done 12 months and regard that as only six months of training — that is what is annoying us and I consider that discrimination.”

However, Air Calédonie’s CEO Samuel Hnepeune told La Premiere the decision to ground the pilot was fair because she did not have enough training.

“For me, it’s sufficient information and everybody is convinced,” he said.

“An instructor evaluates the level, and the person comes back after the test and fills the gaps of their training. That’s easily done, but instead the union is demanding an immediate reintegration of the co-pilot.”

‘Exit solution’
Aircal said in its media release that even though “the pilot with a lot of flying experience [she] has not attained the the level of expertise required to fly.”

In a tweet, La Premiere said: “According to the government of New Caledonia an ‘exit solution’ is being considered and the USTKE has suspended its strike.”

Conflit Aircal : selon le gouvernement de la #NouvelleCaledonie, une “solution de sortie” est envisagée et l’USTKE suspend son mouvement https://t.co/OUeKF4M7fg pic.twitter.com/gMAQggpkGE

— NC La 1ère (@ncla1ere) August 15, 2022

An unnamed union member told La Premiere that “the pilot did not get the same treatment as other pilots”.

“The company invented a standard of training as she was getting tuition which is very unfair on her,” he said.

Since August 4, Air Calédonie has been affected by the industrial action leaving more than 1400 people unable to travel to the Loyalty Islands.

A national football league match in Magenta between Tiga and Kunié has been cancelled due to the strikes.

The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) says this week’s change in the New Caledonian territorial government has brought hope to the Kanak people.

On Wednesday, the Congress of New Caledonia elected a majority pro-independence government.

Now, for the first time in almost 40 years a Kanak pro-independence leader could be elected president of the French territory in the Pacific.

• READ MORE: New Caledonia’s pro-independence camp wins historic election
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

FLNKS spokesperson Charles Wea said the victory had been a long time coming.

“This election result of the new government is for us a very important moment as we are preparing for the third referendum, maybe next year,” Charles Wea said.

“It is something that gives us more momentum in our struggle towards independence.”

However, in order to come to power the two pro-independence groups UNI and UC FLNKS have until Monday to elect a president.

Currently there are two candidates:

• Louis Mapou a career politician with a strong political and public following who is being put forward by UNI.
• Samuel Hnepeune a relative newcomer to politics who was the chief executive of New Caledonia’s domestic airline Air Caledonie and who wields influence in the French dominated private sector in Noumea. He is being backed by UC FLNKS.

Charles Wea said of the two candidates, Louis Mapou had the most political experience.

However, an expert on New Caledonian politics said, regardless of who was at the helm, there were major challenges awaiting the incoming government.

Victoria University lecturer Dr Adrian Muckle said the new administration would be inheriting a territory polarised around the independence question and a crisis in its nickel industry,all in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic.

“There has been a lot of talk from the independantistes and also from Kanak Awakening about the need to really focus not just on the independence questions but also on the really pressing, social and economic concerns,” Dr Muckle said.

At the very top of the incoming government’s to-do list is the passing of New Caledonia’s budget which is long overdue and must be delivered before March.

But Charles Wea said for the FLNKS coming to power after 40 years in the wilderness every challenge is an opportunity.

“When you take the government it means you are trying to show to the French Government or to the people who are against the referendum that we are able to build and to manage the country”

Wea said an integral part was to work with the French Loyalists for the benefit of all New Caledonian citizens.

“This country needs to be more Oceanic way than French way – we need to bring some new things, some new hope to the population.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.