Lionel Guérin tapped as Air Tahiti Nui’s new CEO

By Andrew Curran.

Lionel Guérin will become the new CEO of Air Tahiti Nui, according to French Polynesia’s Radio 1. The outlet says that Guérin is in the process of being appointed and a draft decree has been submitted to the government’s Budgetary and Financial Control Committee, which is expected to tick off on the appointment this week.

Guérin is currently the CEO of the local state-owned domestic operator, Air Moana. His appointment follows a decision earlier this month by the French Polynesian president to sack the now former Air Tahiti Nui CEO, Philippe Marie.

Guérin is also currently an Air Tahiti Nui board member. He has extensive experience across the aviation industry and has helmed Air Moana since December 2024.

French Polynesian Government reshuffles the deck chairs

French Polynesian law dictates that a person cannot simultaneously sit on the board of a state-owned enterprise and be its CEO. The draft decree removes Guérin from the Air Tahiti Nui board while appointing him CEO.

Sandra Shan Sei Fan, who heads French Polynesia’s La Direction du Budget et des Finances (Directorate of Budget and Finance), will replace Guérin on the Air Tahiti Nui board. The draft decree also accommodates this.

It is not known if Guérin will retain his role at Air Moana, which he was tasked with pulling back from a financial abyss. However, Radio 1 says it would be unusual for an individual to keep multiple roles at state-owned entities, especially multiple roles that demand a lot of attention and time.

Guérin has helped stabilise Air Moana, which was at real risk of shutting down after Covid-19. In September 2024, Guérin's predecessor, Olivier-Jean Bréaud issued a public statement warning that without immediate financial support, Air Moana was at imminent risk of collapse. Shortly after, around the time that Bréaud was replaced by Guérin, Air Moana secured XPF4 billion (USD38.8 million) in funding, which allowed it to keep operating and last year, add a third ATR72 to its fleet.

However, while Guérin’s reputation has benefitted from Air Moana’s stabilisation, much of the hard yards to start the stabilisation process was undertaken by former Air Moana CEOs.

Former Air Tahiti Nui CEO given little time to get carrier shipshape

Meanwhile, Air Tahiti Nui lost XPF2.8 billion (USD27.2 million) in 2024 and, since its inception in 1996, has accumulated losses of XPF22 billion (USD213.5 million). The French Polynesian Government has tipped XPF11.2 billion (USD108.7 million) into the carrier since 2021.

When removing Marie, French Polynesia President Moetai Brotherson described Air Tahiti Nui as “a bit unwell.” Brotherson, who maintains a hands-on interest in the government’s airlines, wants to blue-chip foreign airline to invest Air Tahiti Nui, but now says the airline needs to recover to attract the right kind of investor.

Marie, who was tasked with finding an investor, appears to be wearing the blame for not shaping Air Tahiti Nui into an attractive enough investment opportunity. But Marie was only CEO for 18 months before the president ran out of patience.

Separately, the French Polynesian Government will appoint an additional director to the Air Tahiti Nui board. The draft decree will facilitate this. The nominee is Tematai Le Gayic, a former member of parliament, a current candidate for mayor of Papeete, chairman of the French Polynesian Assembly's Committee on Economy, Finance, and Budget, and a friend of Brotherson.

When the changes take place, the nine-member Air Tahiti Nui board will include Chairman Hiro Arbelot, Moetai Brotherson, Warren Dexter, Elise Vana'a, Nuihau Laurey, Oscar Temaru, Bud Gilroy, Sandra Shan Sei Fan, and Tematai Le Gayic.

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com