Aircalin moves to reduce A330-900 disruption woes

By Andrew Curran.

Aircalin is making a concerted effort to reduce disruptions caused by its A330-900s unexpectedly going out of service. The airline has been plagued by cancellations and delays this year, costing the carrier significant amounts of money and damaging its reputation.

As reported by Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, any one of Aircalin's two A330-900s going out of service can cause cascading delays across the network for days. Aircalin uses the aircraft to operate its long-haul services, including flights to Singapore (SIN), Bangkok (BKK), Paris (CDG) and Sydney (SYD).

At the time of publication, Aircalin's travel advisory says its Paris – Bangkok – Nouméa service operating between August 3 and August 5 has been rescheduled "due to maintenance work on the aircraft".

Engine problems behind many Aircalin A330-900 cancellations and delays

The newspaper says around 30% of the delays and cancellations affecting the A330-900 fleet are due to problems with components in the fuel system of the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. The airline has now reached an agreement with the engine manufacturer to always carry the relevant spare parts on board its aircraft. While this will not prevent the engine problems from occurring, it will reduce repair times.

Aircalin has also signed an agreement with Corsair, which has a maintenance and engineering facility at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Corsair will now provide maintenance and engineering support for Aircalin's aircraft at the European end of its flagship route.

New aircraft to improve Aircalin reliability issues

Longer term, the arrival of two A350-900s should improve Aircalin's operational reliability. The first A350 is expected to ferry to Noumea later this year, with the second due in mid-2028. Aircalin is already training and certifying its flight crews to operate the new aircraft.

Previously, Aircalin CEO Georges Selefen said the airline planned to sell one of its A330-900s when the second A350-900 arrives. Consequently, Aircalin's widebody fleet will increase from two aircraft to three. Selefen said the airline was keeping its options open on how it would use the additional capacity, but operating the largely trouble-free A350-900s on long-haul routes will save Aircalin money and eliminate the current engine-related delays and cancellations.

Photo: Aircalin.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com