Solomon Airlines is Shaking up its International Network

Solomon Airlines is shaking up its international network with some significant changes taking effect from October 3, 2025.

Among those changes is a renewed focus on flying between Vanuatu and Australia to meet developing tourism demand.

“We are designing operations to best meet customer demand, especially for tourism development,” said Solomon Airlines Commercial Manager John Woperei this week.

State-owned Solomon Airlines operates a fleet of two A320-200s, three DHC-6-300s (Twin Otters), and a single DHC-8-100. Aside from servicing 22 airports around the Solomons, the airline flies to Nadi (NAN), Auckland (AKL), Brisbane (BNE), Port Vila (VLI) and Espiritu Santo/Luganville (SON).

The carrier, which styles itself as the “Pacific’s best emerging airline,” also does some solid business providing ad hoc capacity to other carriers in the region, including trouble-plagued Air Vanuatu.

Solomon Airlines picked up some former Air Vanuatu routes last year after the liquidation of that airline. Air Vanuatu has since resumed some domestic flights but is not flying any of its former international routes.

Among Solomon’s network changes is the suspension of flights on the Port Vila - Espiritu Santo/Luganville, which the airline says Air Vanuatu now adequately services.

But Solomon Airlines is re-introducing its weekly Brisbane - Espiritu Santo/Luganville round trips and will add a second weekly flight next April.

Other network changes include:

• Auckland-Port Vila flights will increase to three weekly return services;
• A new Brisbane-Honiara flight will operate on Saturdays, replacing the existing Sunday flights.
• The Brisbane – Auckland service that currently operates on Friday will switch to Sunday.
• Existing Honiara – Port Vila flights will end. Instead, Air Niugini will operate those services and Solomon Airlines will code share.

“Designing an optimal airline schedule is ongoing,” said Woperei. “It is a case of responding to customers’ needs and wants across the leisure, VFR, seasonal workforce and business traveller markets.” 

Photo: Solomon Airlines.