Protestors force cancellation of most Air Calédonie flights

By Andrew Curran.

Protestors have temporarily thwarted plans to move Air Calédonie’s Nouméa flights from Magenta (GEA) to La Tontouta (NOU) Airport. The mostly domestic operator was due to make the shift on March 2, 2026. Instead, the airline has cancelled most of its flights.

Protestors, primarily locals living on outer islands such as Ouvéa, Maré, Lifou, and the Isle of Pines, had previously promised to blockade airports. In response, Air Calédonie axed all flights on March 2, and all domestic flights to and from the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines on March 3. This morning, the airline said it was “forced” to cancel all domestic flights on March 4.

On its website, the airline says the “situation beyond its control.”

Air Calédonie international flights continue to operate

Air Calédonie’s international flights, which don’t use Magenta Airport, have continued to operate. At the time of publication, only two of the airline’s three ATR72-600s are in service. One, F-OZIP (msn 1355) operated a La Tontouta – Port Vila (VLI) rotation on March 2; a Port Vila – Tanna (TAH) – Port Vila rotation on March 3; and is scheduled to operate a Port Vila – Luganville (SON) – Port Vila service today, March 4.

Air Calédonie’s other active ATR72, F-OZKN (msn 1459), has sat at La Tontouta since March 1. A third aircraft, F-OZLI (msn 1380), is at Magenta and has not flown since mid-February, while a fourth surplus ATR72 was recently sold to FedEx and is no longer in the country.

The state-owned airline’s move to La Tontouta was announced last year. The government wants to end all scheduled flights from Magenta, primarily to avoid having to pay for infrastructure upgrades there.

But the government also argues, not without merit, that the financially embattled Air Calédonie will benefit from the shift to La Tontouta because it can share ground resources with the state-owned international carrier, Aircalin. Air Calédonie can also more easily tap into the international passenger traffic flows moving through New Caledonia’s primary gateway airport.

Magenta Airport more convenient for many people

For those living on the outer islands, Magenta Airport, just seven kilometres out from Nouméa’s city centre, is a far more convenient proposition than La Tontouta, 47 kilometres from the city centre.

The protest group leaders say Air Calédonie's flights to and from the country’s capital are a public service and it shouldn’t matter if they lose money.

“It's a public service, and it's not up to the population to bear the brunt of budgetary difficulties,” one protest leader told the Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes outlet last month.

The same protest leader says it’s a 45-minute drive between the city centre and La Tontouta and the road is “dangerous.”

“Normally, a government is there to ensure the safety of its population,” he added. “Here, they're adding to the insecurity.”

In late January, the New Caledonia Government said a shuttle bus service would start operating between the city centre and La Tontouta on March 2 – the same day that Air Calédonie was to shift airports. But protestors say the XPF500 (USD4.85) per passenger fare is too expensive.

Air Calédonie flies to Isle of Pines (ILP), Mare (MEE), Lifou Island (LIF), and Ouvéa Island (UVE) from Magenta Airport. Its sole international flight from Nouméa (to Port Vila) already uses La Tontouta Airport.

The other scheduled operator based at Magenta is Air Oceania (formerly Air Loyauté). However, ADS-B flight tracking data indicates the carrier is not presently operating any scheduled services from that airport and is only flying between Wallis (WLS) and Futuna Island (FUT).

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.