New Caledonian CAA briefly attaches Air Vanuatu B737

Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) has reached an agreement with the New Caledonian civil aviation authority (Direction de l’Aviation Civile – DAC-NC) over outstanding ground handling bills stretching back more than two years, according to the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Atu Finau. He declined to disclose the amount involved. This follows after the regulator on March 3 attached Air Vanuatu’s only B737-800 at Nouméa La Tontouta over the unpaid fees. The aircraft, which had just conducted a repatriation flight delivering more than 100 university students back to New Caledonia, was held back for more than an hour before it was allowed to return to Port Vila, reported The Daily Post. As previously reported, Finau last month said he was devising an urgent recovery plan for the airline, which has been restricted to operating domestic and occasional repatriation flights because of COVID-19. Vanuatu’s borders have been closed to international travel since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Vanuatu’s national flag carrier would typically be operating to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and points in the South Pacific.