Samoa bans international flights, including repatriations

The Government of Samoa has extended a nationwide state of emergency through September 27, 2020, widening the scope of restrictions to include a ban on all international flights from and to the country. The newly imposed ban includes all repatriation charters, which were permitted under the earlier version of the ban. The Samoan government took the decision in response to new outbreaks in New Zealand, affecting the Pacific Islander communities in the diaspora. Prior to the extension of the ban, the only scheduled international flight to Apia Faleolo, Samoa’s sole international gateway, was the weekly flight from Auckland Int’l operated by Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland Int’l) with a B787-9. Samoa Airways (OL, Apia Faleolo) international services to New Zealand and Australia have been suspended since late March. Fiji Airways (FJ, Nadi) also suspended flights to Apia in late March 2020.