The Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) has confirmed that the prime suspect in a Port Vila armed robbery is a former member of the French Foreign Legion, who served around 2019.

Allegations had circulated on social media for the past four days, but yesterday it was officially confirmed that the mastermind of the robbery on December 29 is an ex-Legionnaire with operational experience.

The French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère) is an elite, volunteer military corps within the French Army, known for accepting foreign nationals from around the world to serve in challenging overseas missions.

• READ MORE: Armed heist at airport believed to be Vanuatu’s first organised robbery
• Other Vanuatu crime reports

The Legion, established in 1831, is famous for its rigorous selection, demanding training, and unique traditions, including name changes and an emphasis on “honour and fidelity.”

Legionnaires serve in roles such as infantry, engineers, and airborne troops, undergoing intense physical and mental tests to build cohesion and serve France’s global interests.

Social media posts suggest the suspect was deployed in conflict zones, highlighting the level of military training and experience he may have gained.

The robbery, described as a “well-coordinated and professionally executed armed robbery,” took place at Bauerfield International Airport, a critical infrastructure site.

Western Union vehicle
Three suspects in a minivan with an unauthorised number plate closely followed a Western Union vehicle carrying cash to the airport.

The suspects blocked the vehicle at the Vanuatu Terminal Services Limited (VTSL) building, assaulted the driver, and stole NZ$700,000 (about VT49 million). They then escaped swiftly in the minivan.

The police launched an official investigation on December 30 at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Within three days, they started arresting suspects, thanks to strong collaboration with the community of Port Vila and support from the Government of Vanuatu through the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A total of eight suspects have been arrested so far. Seven have been remanded at the Correctional Centre, including a female suspect, while the prime suspect remains in police custody.

Police Commissioner Kalshem Bongran confirmed that the .22-calibre firearm used in the robbery, the getaway vehicle, and 99 percent of the stolen cash had been recovered.

He also expressed gratitude to the public, the Vanuatu government and other stakeholders for their support in the investigation.

While the investigation continues, Commissioner Bongran urged the public not to take the law into their own hands and assured citizens, residents, and visitors that Vanuatu remained safe.

Republished from the Vanuatu Daily Post.

By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific news editor

There are conflicting reports of the official death toll from this week’s massive earthquake in Vanuatu as rescue teams continue to scour the rubble for survivors.

On Tuesday, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office reported 14 deaths.

It said four people had been confirmed dead by the hospital, six others were killed in a landslide and four others died in a collapsed building.

• READ MORE: Stranded workers desperate to get home to their families in quake-stricken Vanuatu
• Live RNZ News feed

But yesterday, the disaster management office reported only nine people had been confirmed dead by the hospital and made no mention of the deaths it had earlier attributed to the landslides and collapsed buildings.

One consistent figure is the more than 200 people injured, with the hospital saying many patients were being treated for broken bones.

Damage and destruction
According to the Vanuatu government’s disaster assessment team, most of the damage from the earthquake had been to the Port Vila CBD on the main island of Efate.

This area has been closed to the public and search and rescue operations were ongoing.

Any buildings still standing had sustained significant structural damage.

The Port Vila main wharf remained closed due to a major landslide.

The two main water reservoirs supplying Port Vila had been totally destroyed and would require reconstruction — an assessment of the rest of the water network was ongoing.

A boil water notice is in place for all of Vila.

Power and telecommunications
The utility company Unelco is working to restore power and water supply.

Vodafone Vanuatu informed its customers that instant messaging on Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been restored on its mobile network.

Audio and video calling via these platforms, however, was still unavailable by today.

Vodafone said its team was working hard to resolve these issues and fully restore its internet services.

State of emergency
A one-week state of emergency was declared on Tuesday by the President, Nikenike Vurobaravu, for the worst affected areas.

Police had been urging people to adhere to the nightly curfew of 6pm to 6am local time.

They had also warned of a greater chance of opportunistic crimes being committed after the disaster and urged everyone to look out for each other.

Commercial flights
There were no commercial flights operating into or out of Vanuatu.

Local authorities said on Tuesday they were closing the Bauerfield International Airport to commercial flights for 72 hours to repair damage and prioritise disaster relief flights.

Passengers booked to fly Fiji Airways to Vila on Thursday had their flights moved to December 21.

Solomon Airlines had also indicated it would resume flying to Vanuatu from Saturday.

Virgin Airlines has cancelled flights until Sunday and a spokesperson for the Qantas Group told the ABC they were monitoring the situation closely.

International aid
International defence and medical personnel, search and rescue teams and disaster response experts from New Zealand, Australia and France were now on the ground in Port Vila.

They were helping local emergency response teams, which had been working around the clock since Tuesday’s 7.3 magnitude quake alongside locally based staff at UN agencies and non-government organisations in Vila.

Time is of the essence for the teams scouring the rubble for any sign of survivors.

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

The controversial multimilion dollar funding that Indonesia is providing to Vanuatu comes in response to a request made by the Vanuatu government, says the Indonesian Ambassador of Indonesia to Vanuatu and Australia.

According to Ambassador Siswo Pramono, the Vanuatu government requested the Indonesian government to send humanitarian aid and renovate the VIP Lounge at Bauerfield Airport following the devastation caused by cyclones Judy and Kevin in March this year.

“This is why we offer help to Vanuatu, because of the letter the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vanuatu sent to us,’’ he said.

• READ MORE:  OPM accuses Melanesian group of taking Jakarta’s ‘blood money’ at expense of West Papuan justice
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• Other MSG reports

“We are not going to send aid if there is no letter of request.’’

Pramono was responding to questions from the media concerning Vanuatu civil society accusations that their country should not receive aid from Indonesia in the form of development and relief supplies.

These claims were made on social media platforms. There are public concerns from critics in Vanuatu that the people in West Papua are still suffering and it is “not acceptable” to accept funds from Indonesia.

Pramono said Indonesia was going to spend 110 million vatu (NZ$1.6 million) to repair the airport as requested by the Vanuatu government.

“It’s not natural, we are requested to do so,’’ he said.

‘Nothing to do with West Papua’
“[It has] nothing to do with the West Papua movement because we also give our aid to Africans and Europeans and many other developing countries. West Papua is a domestic issue in Indonesia, we are going to solve it at the national level.’’

He said that during the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of the VIP lounge, Foreign Affairs Minister Matai Seremiah also explained to the public that this symbolised friendship between Indonesia and Vanuatu.

The architecture and design of the airport would reflect both the Melanesian culture of Vanuatu and that of Indonesia.

“The design has been approved by the Vanuatu government so step by step the Indonesian government is working with the government of Vanuatu,” he said.

Abdul Kadir Jailani, Indonesia’s Director-General for Asia Pacific and African Affairs, also revealed that the priority of foreign policy of Indonesia was to elevate engagement with Pacific countries through cooperation with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

He reaffirmed that as part of their commitment to supporting the MSG, they were going to identify certain initiatives that would be carried out bilaterally.

“Our relationship with the MSG and bilateralism go hand in hand; delivery is always made in a bilateral framework, and Indonesia also agrees to help MSG build its capacity by contributing annually and providing cars among other things,’’ he said.

Indonesia ‘a Melanesian country’
“Indonesia considers itself as a Melanesian country, we have 13 million Melanesians in Indonesia, the most populated country with Melanesian people,” he said.

“We continue in assisting Vanuatu because we think this is what we should do as Pacific neighbours and brothers, so this is the time for us to engage with them,” he said.

He said Indonesia valued the importance of having good relations with all Pacific countries.

“At the end of last year, we had a forum called it Indonesia Pacific Development Forum, and on the forum, we coordinated and consolidated international support for the Pacific,’’ he said.

“The main objective for having this forum is how to strengthen development cooperation with Pacific countries.

“The rationale is more about [that] we really want to have a high relationship between Indonesia and the Pacific as we want to grow together because we think that the future belongs to us,” Jailani said.

Doddy Morris is a Vanuatu Daily Post reporter. Republished with permission.

An Air Vanuatu ATR-72 made an emergency landing in Port Vila today. The aircraft, which had 39 passengers and 4 crew aboard, landed in a gentle tail wind.

According to a statement issued by Air Vanuatu Ltd, the aircraft “was involved in a runway excursion. The incident occurred at the end of the runway on landing”.

Neither the pilots nor the passengers on board suffered any injuries. The Civil Aviation Authority Vanuatu is investigating the incident.

The aircraft was inbound to Port Vila from Tanna. It apparently suffered loss of power to one engine as it overflew the island of Erromango, about 20 minutes away from Bauerfield airport in Port Vila.

Multiple sources told the Vanuatu Daily Post that there was smoke in the cabin when the aircraft landed.

Passenger Janis Steele added some details on a Daily Post social media discussion board:

“The cabin was filled with smoke from a fire below and they cut off the starboard engine mid flight. No oxygen masks dropped and visibility in the cabin was only a couple of meters and breathing was difficult.

“The plane went off the runway during the emergency landing and cut through the front half of a [Unity Airlines] plane before we stopped. We then (elderly included) had to jump down from the cabin with about a meter and a half drop.

“So relieved that everyone appears to be physically OK.”

Medical assessment
All passengers were given an emergency medical assessment by first responders. ProMedical staff report no injuries, but confirmed that 13 people reported discomfort due to the smoke, and requested further medical assessment.

The plane landed at 11am and after it had run a significant distance, it veered to the left, into an area in which several small charter aircraft were parked.

One plane belonging to Unity Airlines was a “write off” according to its owner. The nose section of the plane was obliterated, and there is a visible dent in one engine enclosure.

Another aircraft, operated by Air Taxi, suffered significant damage to its tail section. The owner of the aircraft told the Daily Post that she had not been allowed to approach her aircraft to assess damage.

In an update received by the Daily Post shortly after 1pm today, Air Vanuatu offered additional detail:

“Air Vanuatu has advised all domestic and international services are continuing after the re-opening of Bauerfield airport.

“Passengers booked to travel on domestic services are advised to reconfirm their flights with Air Vanuatu by calling 22000.

“Air Vanuatu management is working closely with authorities to investigate the runway excursion of one of their ATR-72 aircraft.

“Chief Executive Officer Derek Nice has spoken with passengers and the operating crew of the flight and praised the crew for their professionalism and skill which contributed to no injuries from the incident.”

No comment
The Daily Post visited the emergency operations centre established by Airports Vanuatu Ltd, which operates Bauerfield airport.

Staff refused to comment, except to confirm that an incident had occurred. They declined to confirm the number of aircraft involved or, curiously, whether airport operations were resuming.

They referred the newspaper to Air Vanuatu for this last piece of information.

Air Vanuatu Ltd later confirmed that the airport had reopened, and they confirmed that one flight, from Port Vila to Nadi, was cancelled. All other flights were going ahead according to schedule, they said.

First responders spoke glowingly of the professionalism of the AVL fire crew. One person with professional firefighting experience told the Daily Post that the ground personnel acted with professionalism and at the highest standard.

The identity of the pilots on board the aircraft has not yet been released.

Dan McGarry is media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post group. This article is republished with permission.

In a late-night teleconference with senior government officials, World Bank representatives finally acquiesced to Vanuatu’s choice of bidder for the long-awaited Bauerfield runway upgrade.

Confronted with a determined government, the World Bank ended what one participant called a months-long “standoff” by indicating it had no objection to the decision to use China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, or CCECC, as the contractor for the projects.

CCECC’s bid for the Bauerfield component of the contract came in at just over US$47 million—approximately VT5.16 billion—according to members of the bid review committee. The repairs and upgrades on Tanna’s White Grass and Santo’s Pekoa airports will cost slightly more than US$11.3 million, or approximately VT1.24 billion.

A decision had been expected late January this year. But after a series of delays, the resolution arrived only hours before a senior cabinet briefing designed to bring the issue to a head.

In a late-night discussion with World Bank representatives on Thursday, senior government officials made it clear they were prepared to end the impasse by making their choice public, even if that preference was not shared by the funding body.

Journalists invited to the Friday morning event at the Holiday Inn had been briefed to expect a statement to that effect from the Prime Minister. Some were surprised when Charlot Salwai instead announced that the logjam had at last been broken.

The government clearly intends not to waste another moment. Contacted for comment, both the World Bank and CCECC were playing catch-up to the Friday morning announcement. Shortly after the press statement was issued, a spokesperson for CCECC indicated that the company had yet to receive formal notification of their selection, but promised a response as soon as the word arrived.

‘Critical importance’
For its part, a World Bank spokesperson replied by email, stating, “We fully appreciate the sense of frustration felt by many regarding delays in finalising the tender evaluation, however due to the critical importance of this runway to Vanuatu, getting things right through following proper procurement processes and due diligence was essential.”

They expressed relief at the positive result and were eager to move on: “The good news now is that all bidders have been formally notified of the completion of the evaluation process, with contract negotiations to be scheduled by the government in the coming days.”

Details are sparse concerning the cause of the delays. Speaking on background, all parties have admitted to differences of opinion concerning bid price, and confidence in the ability of some bidders to complete the required works within the proposed budget.

But no one was willing to discuss the process on the record, for fear of prejudicing the process.

An evaluation committee member told the Daily Post that their recommendation was returned three times with requests from the World Bank for additional information. These requests for information had to be forwarded to all bidders, and responses compiled and circulated.

Each of these took weeks to complete, giving rise to concerns among onlookers that the process was in danger of getting stuck in a loop.

Asked if this series of interactions affected the outcome, one person close to the process said: “It did affect the outcome. I can’t say any more than that.”

Fair contest
Numerous commentators and participants expressed understanding and respect for the integrity of the World Bank process, and understood the need to ensure a thorough and above all fair contest. Weeks ago, after a meeting with the World Bank’s vice-president for Asia Pacific, MIPU Minister Jotham Napat underlined the need to ensure that the process wouldn’t be subject to appeal or litigation following the award.

“That’s the last thing we need,” he said at the time.

The economic consequences of delay have been a source of deep concern people on the ground here in Vanuatu.

There has long been a widespread sense that undue delays to the Bauerfield project would only prolong the country’s economic struggles. In the wake of cyclone Pam, which ravaged half the country, tourism has struggled.

The shock announcement at the beginning of 2016 that Air New Zealand was suspending commercial service to Port Vila due to runway conditions was followed in quick succession by the suspension of a codeshare between Qantas and Air Vanuatu.

The resulting drop in tourists arriving by air put intense pressure on local tourism operators, who rely on air arrivals for the bulk of their revenues. Overall revenues from tourists arriving by air are just now returning to 2014 levels, but occupancy rates are lower.

This is primarily because tourists have been staying in Vanuatu marginally longer in recent months.

‘Round the clock’
When bids were unsealed in late December last year, a procurement specialist contracted by the World Bank assured bidders that committee members would work through Christmas and the New Year and do their best to get a result “within a month”.

A bid review committee member confirmed to the Daily Post that they had worked “round the clock” to assess the bids and make their selection.

According to one technical specialist, the upgrade to Bauerfield airport’s runway will consist of milling out the top 10mm of the runway surface, then re-mixing it and adding new bitumen. Then another 10mm of new runway surface will be added, effectively doubling the depth of the surface.

The contractor will work during airport downtime, mostly at night. The work will proceed in small slices, as it were, and a temporary ramp section will be added every morning to allow a smooth transition between new surface and old.

Asked about the state of the foundational materials that underlie the tarmac itself, the specialist replied that it was found to be in perfectly good condition.

Perhaps the primary concern for tourism business owners is the status of the codeshare between Qantas and Air Vanuatu.

The code share was cancelled shortly after Air New Zealand’s January 2016 announcement that they were suspending scheduled commercial service due to concerns about the condition of the runway.

The Daily Post asked Jotham Napat if he was going to contact Air New Zealand now, but he indicated he didn’t want to politicise the situation.

“This is purely a commercial deal. We’re doing our part. The airport has been certified. It’s just a matter for them to come.”

“The ball is in their court now,” he concluded.

Dan McGarry is media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post group and has written extensively on the Port Vila airport issue.

On the day of the arrival in Vanuatu of World Bank Vice President Victoria Kwakwa, tourism industry stakeholders are reportedly calling for a quick resolution to an apparent impasse over the selection of a contractor to perform the upgrades to the Bauerfield airport runway.

In late December, a World Bank procurement expert told bidders that she hoped to be able to announce the winning bid within a month of the tenders being unsealed. Nearly two months have passed, however, and no announcement has been made.

The Vanuatu Daily Post has received reliable reports that the crux of the delay is an impasse over the preferred contractor. Sources have confirmed that there are differing opinions about which one should win, and that price is a concern for at least one of the parties.

READ MORE: Vanuatu airport runway repairs usher in new tourism era

Most parties will not speak on the record because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations, but aviation stakeholders stated last week that they were ready to ask for high level government intervention in order to break the impasse.

Over the weekend, government representatives confirmed that they were willing to intervene in the process.

One political operative, who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the affair, confirmed that a letter had been sent to a minister by tourism industry representatives, expressing concern at the economic cost of further delays.

It is widely known that several tourism operations are approaching the end of the line in terms of their ability to continue doing business at these depressed levels, and that any curbs on inflows over the upcoming peak season could spell disaster for them.

Expedited upgrade
The expedited runway upgrade bidding process had been designed with an eye to breaking ground in April, in order to ensure that any interruptions in service would not affect peak season tourist traffic.

Being able to announce completion of the runway upgrades by July might also have the effect of enticing Air New Zealand to return to scheduled service.

While arrival numbers from New Zealand are not huge, a vote of confidence from one of the most highly regarded airlines in the world would go a long way to reassuring travelers about the safety of the runway.

A completed runway upgrade might also convince Qantas to restore their code share with Air Vanuatu on their Sydney and Brisbane to Port Vila service.

Sources have confided that part of the problem stems from a lack of trust in the judgment of some parties. Vanuatu deferred to the World Bank’s choice of project manager during the emergency repair process, and later expressed regret when additional repairs were proven necessary.

Flight turned back
A Virgin Australia flight was turned back last year when additional damage was discovered on the runway, on a section that the project manager had deemed safe.

Nobody’s safety was affected because Airports Vanuatu Ltd was conducting visual inspections of the runway before every jet aircraft arrival and departure.

But the effect on the confidence of international tourism operators was palpably negative.

Parties to the negotiation have quietly accepted that the government’s position is understandable, and said that they view the Vice-President’s visit as an opportunity to “cut the knot” and move ahead with repairs to the runway.

Kwakwa is visiting the country to sign an agreement establishing a country office in Vanuatu.

She was joining at a signing ceremony yesterday by Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jotham Napat, and Finance Minister Gaetan Pikioune.

Dan McGarry is media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post group.

• More airport upgrade delays

“An ambitious new plan to improve Vanuatu’s aviation and tourism sectors” is relegated to second place on Radio Vanuatu News today.

But the Vanuatu Daily Post links work for the new Bauerfield terminal and a massive hotel project at Melcoffe on page one.

Certainly the projects are huge and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation is a large company and is considered to have served Vanuatu well so far, the new jobs signed for yesterday having the additional security of a “bankable feasibility study” by March next year for independent consideration and protection of government finances.

This is a matter which will invite serious criticism and the Vanuatu Daily Digest has strong views on the subject.

An eight level five star resort is planned for immediately opposite the Daily Post building, adjacent to the Russet Plaza building, on Fatumauru Bay, costing Vt 3 to 4 billion (NZ$38 to $51 million).

The Vanuatu Daily Digest believes “no large scale commercial or tourist development should take place until the Port Vila Municipal Council employs a team of qualified town planners, and has solid zoning and urban development plans” in place to balance transport, infrastructure and community needs with commercial development.

Urban planners must be made to present their findings publicly and justify obvious bottlenecks as with the developments opposite Kaiviti and the Russet Plaza itself.

The new Bauerfield terminal is planned to be on the other side of the present runway, to the north of the existing terminal.

Airports Vanuatu Limited chairman Bakoa Kaltongga said the project was worth US$60–90 million (Vt 6.5–9.7 billion) and would bring to reality the Code E status for the airport to enable longer haul aircraft to use Bauerfield in their schedules, especially assisting Asian business and pleasure travellers.

In other news, an administrative change to legislation which will enable newly elected MPs to be sworn in as soon as elected rather than await the next sitting is the lead item on Radio Vanuatu News today.

This was voted on this week, before Parliament was dissolved. It sounds so much more efficient.

Bob Makin writes for Vanuatu Daily Digest.

With more flights to return in coming weeks, key industry developments and an exciting, integrated marketing campaign to be rolled out by Vanuatu Tourism Office, the coming months are set to be a turning point for Vanuatu.

Runway repair work was completed in April by New Zealand contractors Fulton Hogan and the Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jotham Napat, has appointed an Airport Taskforce to finalise negotiations with the World Bank loan for the second phase of repairs.

Vanuatu Tourism Office’s general manager, Linda Kalpoi, is thrilled that the first phase is complete and says it is a boost for Vanuatu’s tourism industry.

“This is such an important moment for the tourism industry and we are looking at the completion of this first phase as a launching point for the next exciting stage of tourism for our country,” Kalpoi says.

“The Minister for Tourism, Joe Natuman, has announced an all-important recovery campaign, which will roll out in Australia and New Zealand over the next few months.

“The integrated ‘Discover What Matters’ marketing campaign will include travel trade education, public relations and digital marketing, all developed to inspire and motivate people to book their holidays to Vanuatu and to reconnect with themselves and loved ones.”

Aligning with the campaign launch, the tourism industry is busy finalising new developments and improvements that will once again position Vanuatu as a leading holiday destination.

Some of these developments include:

• Iririki Island Resort and Spa reopening its door this week after impressive renovations
• Global brand, the Holiday Inn, reopening in coming weeks, following repairs
• A brand new Ramada property, Akiriki Resort, is well underway
• The iconic restaurant Tamanu on the Beach is undergoing a major upgrade, including additional accommodation options and is set to open October 1.
• Air Vanuatu announcing increased weekly flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland commencing June 1.

The next phase of the rehabilitation will see the airport meet Code E specifications which will allow it to cater for long-haul flights from wide bodied aircraft – opening the door to more travellers from around the globe.

This news item is republished with thanks to Vanuatu Daily Digest.

• Trade updates on Vanuatu: www.vanuatuspecialists.com.au

Prime Minister Charlot Salwai has his eyes set on urgent repairs for Vanuatu’s international airport at Bauerfield and wants to see the runway fixed by April, as mandated by the incoming cabinet in an emergency meeting yesterday.

The new coalition government only took office this week after the snap general election last month.

New Zealand contractor Fulton Hogan has been awarded the Bauerfield contract for emergency airport repairs.

The contractor’s letter for award of contract was issued yesterday afternoon by the Director-General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities following the Vanuatu Project Management Unit steering committee’s consideration of evaluation reports.

Fulton Hogan are now expected to have the contract signed in the coming days for immediate mobilisation of machinery and experts.

56-day job
It is envisaged that the duration of works contract will be completed within 56 days after the signing of the contract.

This means mobilisation of equipment and materials will be done by March 15, when works are expected to start.

According to the project timeline, the government expects the emergency repairs to be completed by the April 6.

In addition, under the same timeline, the shipment of materials, including asphalt to repair the runway is expected in the coming weeks.

NZ waits for fix-up plans for Vanuatu airport

Vanuatu airport claim

Vanuatu airport crisis: Daily Post hits back on safety

—

From Vanuatu Daily Post

Air Vanuatu has received an independent assessment of Bauerfield International Airport from the Airport Consultancy Group (ACG) in Australia and has announced it is satisfied the condition of the runway is safe to continue jet operations.

The report done by ACG found no sign of any foreign object debris of any size on the runway surface and recommended “runway sweeping operations should continue at its current frequency until such a time as surface rejuvenation is undertaken”.

The report further recommended contingency plans for Air Vanuatu in order to maintain safe operations, including the requirement for Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL) to remove excess water from the runway prior to landing during heavy rainfall.

Air Vanuatu management says it has been attending daily briefings with Airports Vanuatu Limited (the operator of Bauerfield Airport) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV) and is grateful for the open and honest discussions.

“We have been pleased with the swift response of the authorities to increase precautionary measures at our request,” a statement said.

“We continue to share information with overseas carriers, some of whom have not attended any of these briefings nor conducted independent inspections, yet suspended jet services.

“As the national carrier, it is our responsibility to provide a safe and reliable service to passengers.

“We are continuing to do so.

‘Passengers welcome’
“We welcome passengers from other carriers to contact our offices in Auckland and Sydney to continue with their Vanuatu holiday plans.

“Our brand new Boeing 737-800 operated its first commercial service today [Wednesday, February 3] in safe conditions.

“It will be serviced and maintained by Qantas Engineering in Brisbane every week.

“Our flight captains have the final say should the extra safety measures in place, including daily mechanical ‘sweeping’ of the runway and removing excess water not meet our standards.

“Air Vanuatu operates under a safety first policy at all times and will continue to do so.

“Should conditions deteriorate before the planned upgrade of the runway commences, we will review services to Port Vila,” the statement said.

Airports Vanuatu Limited is reportedly working closely with stakeholders to ensure the planned upgrade of the runway takes place before conditions deteriorate.

Vanuatu airport crisis: Daily Post hits back on safety

—

By Jane Joshua and Jonas Cullwick in Port Vila

Virgin Australia, has temporarily suspended its flights to Vanuatu over runway safety concerns at Port Vila’s Bauerfield Airport.

Sources informed the Daily Post that there was “no response” from the control tower at Bauerfield when a Virgin Airlines flight bound for Australia left the airport on Monday.

In other developments in the airport safety row, the National Bank of Vanuatu has revealed it is “happy to work” with the Vanuatu government to fund the immediate runway upgrade needs up to the value of US$1 million.

Virgin offers three weekly flights between Brisbane and Port Vila, but the Sydney Morning Herald reported:

“The carrier said after a further review of the runway on Wednesday, it had decided it would only operate one last return service between Brisbane and Port Vila on Saturday to return customers to their port of origin.”

Previously Air New Zealand had suspended its flights to Port Vila and Qantas suspended its code-sharing arrangement with Air Vanuatu over similar concerns.

These concerns may soon be eased as the National Bank of Vanuatu (NBV) has considered assisting the Vanuatu government.

Bank offer
Speaking exclusively with the Daily Post at the weekend, an executive member of the NBV, Michael Fimeri, said the bank was happy to work with the Vanuatu government to fund the immediate needs of the runway, to resurface the runway up to a price of US$1 million, assuming it could work out satisfactory terms with the government.

“The loan has a zero percent interest, subject to the terms agreed with the government,” he said.

Asked how soon this could happen, Fimeri replied: “The funds are available as of [Saturday], subject to negotiations with the government.”

He added that he understood there was a quote to fix the runway from a local company, which would happen in a “short space of time”.

“We will fund the upgrade, subject to the government agreeing,” he said.

While negotiations were yet to happen, he said from a banking perspective, the country needed the runway.

“It is an interest free loan, subject to terms agreed by the government and NBV,” he said.

“The money is available. It needs to be funded immediately.”

Benefit for Vanuatu
When asked how NBV would benefit from the loan, Fimeri replied: “NBV will benefit from the fact that Vanuatu will benefit from it. It is an interest free loan.”

On Friday, Air Vanuatu issued the following statement but did not comment on the recent suspension of flights when asked to: ”Air Vanuatu senior management, captains and compliance officers have been holding daily meetings with Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV) and Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL) and remain satisfied the condition of the runway is safe to continue jet operations at present.

“Our flight captains have the final say should the extra safety measures in place, including daily mechanical ‘sweeping’ of the runway, not meet our standards.

“This week we have had one flight delayed due to the sweeping not meeting the approval of our operating captain. We will continue to demand daily sweeping and runway inspections and will not depart if our operating crew and compliance officers are not satisfied.

“Air Vanuatu operates under a safety first policy at all times and will continue to do so. Should conditions deteriorate before the planned upgrade of the runway commences, we will review services to Port Vila”.

Meanwhile, AVL are refusing to confirm or deny an incident that allegedly took place Monday. Sources informed the Daily Post that there was no response from control tower at Bauerfield when a Virgin Airlines flight bound for Australia left the airport.

It was reported to the Daily Post by a person listening to the relevant radio frequency that when the plane was ready to leave the airport the captain repeatedly attempted to contact the control tower to request clearance for departure, but there was no response.

Prolonged silence
After a prolonged silence, the plane took off without incident following communication by the captain with the pilots of other aircraft in the vicinity. One of them considered the incident more amusing than not, jokingly told the captain of the aircraft “Welcome to the Pacific!”

Sources confirmed the incident and said similar situations had occurred in the past, especially when there was only one person at the control tower and had to use the restroom.

One local pilot said such incidents often happened with local flights, but this was the first he had come across it with an international flight.

“There was really no drama only an inconvenience to the Boeing captain who after waiting for five minutes decided to take off. But if there was a major incident the captain would have filed an Incident Report, As it is, there was really no issue,” he added.

AVL’s management responded to a request from the Daily Post for a comment saying they had nothing to say on the matter as they were not aware of such an incident.

It is not known whether such an occurrence would have contributed to Virgin’s decision to suspend its service to Port Vila.

AVL also said they could not comment on reports that a manager, air traffic, Lindsay Taylor, who was said to have spent over 20 years in the control tower of Bauerfield Airport, was given only four days’ notice before having his services terminated recently.

No comment
When the Daily Post contacted AVL for a comment, it was told that management could not comment on the report. No reasons were given.

These situations could not have come at a worse time for Vanuatu and Bauerfield when the airport was in the spotlight over concerns about safety issues.

These longstanding concerns about the condition of the runway to safely handle Boeing 737 aircraft have led Air New Zealand to suspend its flights into Bauerfield.

Last weekend, the Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV), Joseph Niel, directed AVL to act on measures required by airline operators to ensure jet operations could continue safely at Bauerfield airport.

Air Vanuatu also said several extra precautions were now in place until permanent repair at the aerodrome begins.

The safety measures imposed by Air Vanuatu require daily “sweeping” of the runway plus regular inspections prior to and after take-off; new obstacle and runway surveys and 200m of runway to be marked at the end of runway 11 for urgent repair.

Jonas Cullwick, a former general manager of Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC), is now a senior journalist with the Daily Post.

Daily Post in editorial clash with Vanuatu government over airport safety