Solomon Airlines cuts flights as fuel costs spike

By Andrew Curran.

Solomon Airlines is trimming its domestic and international flight schedules through to June in response to rising fuel costs.

The airline, which announced the changes yesterday, April 22, says it is facing a 70% increase in jet fuel costs on its domestic network, which is placing significant financial pressure on operations.

Much of the domestic network was already unprofitable prior to the recent fuel price increases and Solomon Airlines relies on its international services to cross-subsidise domestic routes. The state-owned carrier serves 19 airports across the Solomon Islands, in addition to seven international destinations.

Services to Brisbane and Port Vila trimmed

The airline and its management place a heavy emphasis on the carrier’s public service role in keeping Solomon Islanders connected to each other and the wider world.

However, as part of a broader strategy to better align capacity with current operating conditions, the airline is also temporarily reducing frequencies on selected international routes.

“As the national carrier committed to maintaining essential connectivity throughout the Solomon Islands, Solomon Airlines has been working to absorb as much of these increased costs as possible,” a statement issued yesterday said.

“However, the sustained rise in fuel expenses has made it necessary to implement temporary operational changes to ensure the continued viability of the network.”

Two international routes, Honiara (HIR)–Brisbane (BNE) and Honiara - Port Vila (VLI) - Auckland (AKL), will see slightly reduced frequencies between now and the end of May.

Selective capacity cuts across the Solomon Airlines domestic network

Domestic reductions affect almost the entire network. However, rather than implementing widespread cancellations, Solomon Airlines is selectively trimming frequencies to ensure outer communities continue to receive most scheduled services. Flights to Afutara (AFT) and Mono (MNY), however, remain suspended.

A revised schedule covering flights from 1 June is now in place.

“These decisions have not been made lightly, but they are necessary to ensure the sustainability of our domestic services during this period of unprecedented global fuel volatility,” a Solomon Airlines spokesperson said.

In addition, the airline will introduce a temporary domestic fuel levy of SBD55 (USD6.8) per sector. This follows the recent introduction of an international fuel surcharge. The measure is designed to offset rising fuel costs while limiting the need for broader fare increases for passengers.

Solomon Airlines said it will continue to monitor global fuel market conditions and review these temporary measures as circumstances evolve.

Planned network developments remain unaffected, including the launch of a weekly Honiara - Port Moresby (POM) service on June 2 and flights between Port Vila and Christchurch (CHC) on July 1.

Solomon Airlines joins other regional airlines responding to fuel rises

Other airlines in the region to have recently announced frequency reductions include Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Fiji Airways, Qantas, and Virgin Australia.

Several carriers, including Air Rarotonga and Air Kiribati, have also introduced fare increases and fuel surcharges in response to rising operating costs.

You can read the Solomon Airlines statement in full here.

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com