ENSURING they keep the local market connected tops the list of priorities for Tonga’s domestic airline, Lulutai Airlines.
Responding to queries on the issue, CEO Clive Fua was unequivocal. “As the only domestic carrier here in Tonga, our key aviation development should focus on reliability, resilience, and affordability,” he said, “especially for outer-island services where demand may be thin… but the social and economic need is high. Moreover, we have a responsibility to serve our outer islands as an essential service for our people.”
It’s no easy task for an airline relatively new to the game, having commenced operations in 2020. Their predecessor Real Tonga had struggled to keep its head above water financially, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 – and with another crisis of a similar magnitude on the horizon given events in the Middle East, Lulutai is being proactive.
“Our response has been to strengthen operational discipline by making sure that we fill in each domestic flight, safety oversight and risk management, and business continuity planning that align with the fuel crisis impact scale in the Pacific,” Fua said.
“In practical terms, our initiatives are to closely monitor the JETA1 fuel availability and operating cost exposure, maintain close coordination with our regulators and our fuel suppliers (Pacific Energy and Tonga Airports), protect schedule reliability where possible, and ensure that any decisions made are guided first by safety, compliance, and continuity of essential air services here in Tonga.”
In order to fully meet the domestic demand, Fua believes a lot needs to be done in terms of improvement to infrastructure and links with others. “The key developments needed are improved airport infrastructure… our domestic airports, our domestic fleet and potential partnerships,” he said. “I strongly believe, a great domestic operation here in Tonga will be crucial for our tourism industry development and our economy.”
