Vanuatu and Solomon Islands agree on new air service agreement

Vanuatu and Solomon Islands have agreed on their new air service agreement last week.

A Vanuatu delegation was in Solomon Islands last week to discuss the renewal of the Air Service Agreement (ASA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two countries.

The Vanuatu delegation was led by the Director of Civil Aviation of Vanuatu, Joseph Niel and accompanied by members of Foreign Affairs and the CEO of Air Vanuatu whilst the Solomon Islands’ team was headed by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communication and Aviation, Moses Virivolomo.

“In the ensuing meeting held at Solomon Airlines boardroom at Henderson Airport, some changes were made to the current air service agreement and memorandum of agreement to better suit both countries and their national Airlines so as to take away any guessing and ambiguity away from the future of negotiations,”  Virivolomo indicated.

“The meeting between both parties was the beginning of Solomon Islands and its stakeholders to review all ASA’s between member states and Solomon Islands,” he said.

“Naturally we are trying as a country to ensure that there is no repeat of the impasse that happened between Fiji and Solomon Islands last year and that reciprocity and fairness is paramount with all our Air Services Agreement.”

This comment was jointly echoed to by both the team from Vanuatu and Solomon islands.

These ASA and agreements between the Vanuatu and Solomon Islands Governments and their stakeholders follow hot on the topic of the new Code-share agreements between Solomon Airlines and Qantas and Air Niugini which will form the basis for further corporation and other similar arrangements promoting aviation as one sector but in general, encouraging more collaboration among Melanesian Spearhead Group countries & carriers.

Solomon Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Ron Sumsum said there will be further discussions with his counterpart CEO of Air Vanuatu Joseph Laloyer and some other announcements will be forthcoming when the negotiations have been completed.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) is an intergovernmental organisation, comprised of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia. The group orchestrates preferential trade agreements and supports economic development within its membership.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST