Pacific Air Charters targets late 2026 American Samoa launch

By Andrew Curran.

Hawaii-based Pacific Air Charters has told the US Department of Transportation that it intends to start scheduled passenger flights in American Samoa by the end of the year.

The carrier was responding to a recent application by Samoa Airways for an extension of its existing cabotage rights to fly between Pago Pago (PPG) and the Manu‘a Islands through to January 1, 2027.

Apia-based Samoa Airways has operated inter-island flights within American Samoa for several years under a 49 USC § 40109(g) exemption because no US carrier was ready, willing or able to do so.

“We have received US Department of Transportation approval to operate as a commuter airline, subject to FAA approval of our procedures and manuals,” Pacific Air Charters President Marshall Ashley said in a June 16 letter. “We are working with the FAA to obtain that approval.”

Limited options for Samoa Airways

Pacific Air Charters operates four nine-passenger Tecnam P2012 Travellers and one six-passenger Cessna 310R. The airline already held certification to operate on-demand flights around Hawaii and American Samoa when, after a lengthy application process, the Department of Transportation issued a show-cause notice in January indicating it planned to grant Pacific Air Charters commuter air carrier authority.

That authority would allow Pacific Air Charters to tender for Essential Air Service contracts in Hawaii and commence its proposed but long-delayed scheduled flights around American Samoa under the Pago Wings brand.

However, getting that operation off the ground would likely spell the end of Samoa Airways’ inter-island flying within American Samoa.

There are no scheduled domestic flights within Samoa itself. State-owned Samoa Airways currently operates flights between Apia Faleolo (APW), Apia Fagali‘i (FGI) and Pago Pago, as well as between Pago Pago and Ofu (OFU) and Fitiuta (FTI). Ofu and Fitiuta are part of American Samoa.

The Department of Transportation has routinely approved Samoa Airways’ cabotage extension requests every six months. The current exemption expires on July 4, and Samoa Airways wants the latest extension to commence the following day.

“We are not yet ready to commence that service and will not be ready by the expiration of the current cabotage waiver on July 4, 2026,” Ashley said. “However, we do expect to commence commuter service in American Samoa later this year.”

Threat to Samoa Airways business model

Pago Wings poses a significant threat to Samoa Airways’ business model. The airline is already facing financial challenges, and losing the right to operate within American Samoa could deepen those difficulties, particularly given its limited opportunities to develop a domestic network.

Samoa Prime Minister Laauli Leuatea Schmidt is keen to transform Samoa Airways into a larger regional operator, but doing so would require significant funding and larger aircraft, neither of which is readily available in Apia.

In its recent extension request, Samoa Airways provided details of its inter-island operations within American Samoa. The airline said that between January and May 2026 it operated 225 scheduled flights, transporting 2,416 passengers and more than 987 kilograms of cargo.

Samoa Airways also conducted six aeromedical evacuations during the same period.

Aero South Pacific has contacted Samoa Airways for comment.

Photo: Tecnam.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com