Naoero minister laments Northern Pacific Connector demise

By Andrew Curran.

Minister for Nauru Air Corporation Asterio Appi says the end of the Australian Government-administered Northern Pacific Connector contract was a slap in the face for his country and its state-owned airline.

The Australian Government called for fresh tenders earlier this year, looking for a carrier capable of providing at least one service per week connecting Australia with Naoero, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

The terms included operating an aircraft capable of carrying at least 75 passengers and 1,000 kg of cargo on each sector for two years, with the option for another two-year extension .The Northern Pacific Connector service is administered by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

"The successful operator will sell seats and freight at commercial prices with revenue being deducted from flight operational costs to DFAT," the government's initial tender announcement noted.

Silence from the Australian Government

Nauru Airlines has been operating the flights since 2022, using one of its passenger-configured B737s. But despite a mid-April 2026 tender deadline, the Australian Government hasn't announced the successful bidder, and Appi smells trouble.

"The tender process deadline has elapsed and remains a mystery, clouded in confidentiality," he told Naoero Parliament last month.

"Unfortunately, it is hauntingly familiar to a similar decision a year or so earlier when the Paradise Express operated by Nauru Airlines under the contract was subject to a sudden re-tender decision in less than 12 months of operation," he continued.

The so-called Paradise Express was another Australian Government-supported route between Brisbane (BNE) and Koror (ROR), which Nauru Airlines initially operated before Qantas swooped in during a re-tender process.

"It would appear that Nauru Airlines was used as a means of exploring a new flight destination, only to be shortly replaced thereafter by an Australia-designated carrier who immediately benefited from the initial groundwork, marketing and forward passenger bookings," Appi said.

The minister referenced the North Pacific Aviation Summit held in Canberra in March, at which he argued that the Northern Pacific Connector service must be commercially sustainable over the long term. He says he was verbally advised at the meeting to make sure Nauru Airlines submitted its fresh Northern Pacific Connector tender on time, which it did.

He said the Australian Government's tardy response in announcing the successful bidder had undermined much of the work done by Nauru Airlines to build connections in the region.

Nauru Airlines network cutbacks

Last month, Aero South Pacific reported that the carrier had quietly axed two of the five sectors on its Northern Pacific Connector routing. Instead of flying Brisbane – Yaren/Naoero (INU) – Majuro (MAJ) – Pohnpei (PNI) – Koror (ROR) and return, it dropped the Majuro – Pohnpei and Pohnpei – Koror legs.

Appi said Nauru Airlines and its staff had been blamed for service cutbacks when the carrier was merely "the incumbent operator of an expired contract that still has no decision in sight".

"The Northern Pacific Connector has failed Nauru Airlines and the people of Micronesia," Appi said.

Aero South Pacific has contacted DFAT for comment.

Turning away from Australia

Appi said the airline was pivoting its attention towards more responsive governments in the region, having recently signed memorandums of understanding to develop air services with the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. The focus of those talks was on restoring the discontinued Northern Pacific Connector sectors.

Appi called the MOU with Micronesia a "bold, forward-looking partnership" and the Marshall Islands agreement a "defining moment".

"We have intensified our bilateral talks with our Micronesian neighbours," Appi said. "Together, we can do more for air connectivity in the Micronesian region."

At the March forum in Canberra, Appi said all countries served by the Northern Pacific Connector service needed to contribute to the costs – not just Australia and Naoero. He said small measures, such as waiving airport charges and allowing after-dark landings, could help.

None of the officials from Naoero, Micronesia or the Marshall Islands have said what, if any, assistance they will provide Nauru Airlines to restart the flights.

Nauru Airlines has also recently held talks with Micronesia-based start-up One Pacific Airways, while Naoero officials have travelled to China for talks about how that country can help develop Naoero's aviation sector.

Photo: Nauru Airlines
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com