Air Calédonie shutdown about to enter third week

By Andrew Curran.

The near total shutdown of Air Calédonie is about to enter its third week as protestors continue their blockades of airports on Maré, Lifou, Ouvéa, and the Isle of Pines.

The protestors are trying to stop Air Calédonie shifting its Nouméa base from Magenta Airport (GEA) to La Tontouta Airport (NOU). The move was scheduled to happen on March 2. However, by then, the blockades were already underway.

With Air Calédonie unable to use the outer island airports, it began cancelling its domestic flights on a day-by-day basis. Twelve days later, the airline is still cancelling flights.

“The airline is once again required to cancel domestic flights to and from the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines for Friday, 13 March 2026,” the latest Air Calédonie advisory reads.

Loyalty Islanders unhappy with airport switch

Until the blockades started, Air Calédonie flew scheduled services from Magenta Airport to Isle of Pines (ILP), Mare (MEE), Lifou Island (LIF), and Ouvéa Island (UVE). Its sole international flight from Nouméa (to Port Vila) already uses La Tontouta Airport and is unaffected by the cancellations.

Mare, Lifou, and Ouvéa Islands are three of six inhabited islands that make up the Loyalty Islands chain northeast of the New Caledonian mainland of Grande Terre. The Isle of Pines is not part of the Loyalty Islands, being situated south of Grande Terre.

The protestors are primarily people living on these islands. Traditional leaders appear to be the organisers. The islanders have a history of airport blockades, using them to try to sway New Caledonia’s Nouméa-based government on certain matters. The blockades also have a history of sometimes going awry.

In 2011, a blockade of Mare Airport over airfare increases turned violent, leading to four deaths.

The government owns Air Calédonie and is behind the switch to La Tontouta, which it says is necessary to cut costs. The country’s prime minister says the decision is final.

However, Magenta Airport is far closer to central Nouméa than La Tontouta Airport and thus, a far more convenient option for people flying to and from the outer islands.

Blockades worsen Air Calédonie's financial situation

The current stand-off is now causing alarm in business and government circles.

Air Calédonie was in financial strife well before the latest shut-down, which is making the airline’s financial situation worse. This week, some Air Calédonie employees demonstrated outside the airline’s Nouméa headquarters to express their concerns about the company's future and their jobs.

"If flights haven't resumed by next week, I fear Aircal will be forced to file for bankruptcy,” one Loyalty Islands-based politician told the Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes outlet.

The Federation of Businesses and Industries of New Caledonia said this week that the country’s government should step in to end the protests “and restore the full exercise of the rights of Caledonian citizens to move freely and access essential services.”

Tourism is critical to the local economies and Loyalty Island businesses are warning that jobs are under threat as the blockade prevents tourists from accessing the islands.

But the protesters show no signs of backing down and Air Calédonie’s domestic flight cancellations look set to go into their third week. The embattled carrier says there is “uncertainty surrounding the duration of these disruptions” and that the situation is beyond its control.

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com