THE small scale of Pacific aviation operations remains the region’s most persistent challenge, according to Association of South Pacific Airlines (ASPA) Chair Ewan Smith.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ASPA regional conference, Smith said the combination of vast distances, low passenger volumes, and high costs creates an exceptionally difficult operating environment.
“We’re in a very, very high-cost industry and operating on a very small scale, moving small amounts of people around large distances,” Smith said. “You add all those together, it’s quite a challenging environment.”
Smith outlined ASPA’s immediate priorities, including a revamp of their online platforms, and bringing on board a digital content manager to improve engagement with members. He said the Association plans to work closely with IATA and other agencies, to tap into existing training and support services.
“Our immediate objective now is to sit down and actually plan out a range of projects that we believe we can offer membership for this next year,” he said. Members will soon be polled to prioritise those projects, which may include safety management training, revenue management, and technical support for Air Operator’s Certificates.
Smith cautioned that political aspirations often outrun commercial reality. While routes like the Cook Islands–Tahiti service have grown to four or five weekly flights since COVID, longer east-west links remain a distant goal.
“The political aspirations around regional connectivity are a little bit different from what the commercial realities are,” he said.
When it comes to sustainable aviation fuels, Smith said the Pacific must wait and watch larger nations forge a path. “There is no other way of travelling other than aviation, and aviation uses fossil fuels,” he said. “It’s quite a long way to go.”
He called for closer cooperation between airlines and airport authorities, warning against “siloed” decision-making. “We really need everybody to be on the same page.”
Working together is important, Smith said, because Pacific states share a common problem as “micro-jurisdictions” managing technical compliance at small scale, even if their economies are not interdependent.
“You’ve really got to have that hands-on, face-to-face contact,” Smith said of the conference. “Even given the social activity… competitive companies leaning on the bar, having a candid discussion – that is actually very useful.”
