Air Vanuatu’s newest Twin Otter begins marathon ferry flight

By Andrew Curran.

Air Vanuatu’s newest fleet addition is a 51-year-old DHC-6-300 Twin Otter that first flew for Indonesia’s Merpati Nusantara Airlines in 1975 and was recently rebuilt by Florida-based Aviation Management Sales ahead of its ferry flight to Vanuatu.

The aircraft, N660FB (msn 472), departed Fort Pierce Airport (FPR) for Tulsa (RVS) on October 18, beginning the first leg of a marathon flight to Port Vila (VLI), where it is expected to arrive by next weekend. The Twin Otter will be re-registered as YJ-AV16.

Overseeing the ferry flight is Air Vanuatu Chairman Robin Deamer, an experienced pilot. Also on board is Air Vanuatu engineer Nick Tavner, who has spent the past three weeks in Florida familiarising himself with the aircraft.

The aircraft is expected to pass through Hilo (ITO), Kiritimati (CXI) and Pago Pago (PPG) on its way to Vanuatu.

Second of two Twin Otters on the way, but first remains on the ground in Port Vila

YJ-AV16 will become Air Vanuatu’s fifth DHC-6-300, although not all are in service. It is one of two Twin Otters acquired by the Government of Vanuatu for the state-owned airline. The government paid approximately VUV 1.1 billion (USD 9.2 million) for the two aircraft and is leasing them to Air Vanuatu.

The first Twin Otter, YJ-AV15 (msn 481), arrived in Vanuatu in January. It is of a similar age to N660FB and also first flew for Merpati Nusantara Airlines in the 1970s before being overhauled by Aviation Management Sales ahead of its delivery to Air Vanuatu. Notably, YJ-AV15 has remained parked at Port Vila Airport since January.

“Learning from our first acquisition earlier this year, we are confident this aircraft is ready for service,” the Prime Minister of Vanuatu’s Office posted online over the weekend. “Chairman Deamer expects the plane to arrive next weekend, and it will enter domestic service as soon as all local permits and approvals are obtained on arrival.”

“This new addition has successfully completed all required tests and has been cleared by the American Federal Aviation Administration.”

Air Vanuatu is still rebuilding following its liquidation in 2024 and subsequent sale to a shelf company controlled by Vanuatu’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It no longer operates international flights, instead focusing on expanding services across Vanuatu.

In August, Philippe Busson took on the role of Air Vanuatu CEO. He says he is focused on restructuring the business to bring costs under control and improve reliability.

Aero South Pacific has contacted Air Vanuatu for comment.

Both Air Vanuatu Twin Otters rebuilt in Florida

N660FB has spent most of its life in Indonesia, although databases indicate that the aircraft was parked at Biak Airport (BIK) since 2014 and that Indonesian authorities cancelled its certificate of registration that year. N660FB was registered as PK-NUV while in Indonesia.

In 2023, the aircraft was acquired by Aviation Management Sales and shipped by sea to Florida. Among other activities, Aviation Management Sales buys, dismantles, repairs and sells aircraft. It specialises in propeller-driven aircraft.

The multi-year rebuild of Air Vanuatu’s Twin Otters involved stripping down the aircraft to inspect for metal fatigue and deep corrosion, detailed component inspections, system rewiring, structural repairs and component restoration. N660FB completed its first post-restoration test flight on October 5, 2026.

Vanuatu Prime Minister’s Office says Tavner used his time in Florida to familiarise himself with the aircraft’s systems and construction.

“This valuable hands-on experience will be shared with our engineering team in Vanuatu to strengthen local maintenance capability,” the Prime Minister’s Office added.

Photo: Air Vanuatu.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.