News for South Pacific

Nelson Airport awarded Gibbon Construction, Naylor Love and Fulton Hogan main contracts for the NZD32 million (USD23 million) terminal development project (Stuff, 16-May-2017). Construction is scheduled to commence in 2Q2017. The new terminal will be two times larger than the current one, providing capacity for 1.4 million passengers p/a. As previously reported by CAPA, the terminal is expected to be ready by 2018.

Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi confirmed the Virgin Samoa JV will not be continuing (Radio NZ, 16-May-2017). As previously reported by CAPA, the Samoa Government extended the JV by five months to allow for negotiations to continue. Mr Malielegaoi stated "once the joint venture is wound up, the national carrier will be re-established". The Virgin Samoa joint venture has operated for ten years.

New Zealand Government committed USD13.8 million towards an initiative to upgrade Solomon Islands regional airports, with Solomon Islands government to contribute USD4 million (Radio NZ, 16-May-2017). The funds will cover the following projects:

• Facility upgrade at Munda Airport to accommodate international services, due to complete in late 2017;
• Upgrade Seghe Airport in 2018;
• Upgrade Suavanao Airstrip in 2018;
• Install approach lights at Gizo Airport.

South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is set to host a group of 16 operators from Fiji in Sydney, Australia at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange between 19-May-2017 and 20-May-2017 (Fiji Times, 17-May-2017). Tourism Fiji and Fiji Airways will lead the Pacific delegations who will have the opportunity to meet at least 75 international travel wholesalers and tour operators from 17 countries outside of the Pacific. SPTO stated: "Visitors to the two-day event will be immersed in a Pacific experience that focuses on the importance of sustaining the tourism industry in line with the UNWTO theme for 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development".

Destination NSW announced (16-May-2017) growth in overnight visitation to NSW is stimulating an accommodation boom across the State. Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase believes confidence in the visitor economy is driving a hotel boom with 7800 new and refurbished hotel rooms under construction or approved for development and open for business by 2022. Mrs Chipchase stated: "NSW is undergoing a major transformation to meet the growing demands from international markets, with NSW leading the country when it comes to accommodation supply, demand and revenue takings". [more - original PR]

Qantas' new Karratha Airport lounge is set to open on 17-May-2017 (The West Australian, 17-May-2017). The lounge, which is three times larger than existing facilities, will be opened by Qantas WA regional manager Julian Barry. Qantas stated the lounge had been designed with changing market conditions in mind as Qantas expected demand for travel on the Karratha route to stabilise by the end of 2018.

Air Vanuatu and Qantas announced (16-May-2017) a codeshare partnership on Port Vila services will resume from 15-Jun-2017. Air Vanuatu CEO Joseph Laloyer stated: "Qantas has been a long term and important partner of Air Vanuatu" and welcomed Qantas resuming selling services from Sydney-Port Vila and Brisbane-Port Vila with connections from other Australian ports. The news has been overwhelmingly welcomed by the tourism industry in Vanuatu as a necessary step forward. Vanuatu Hotels and Resorts Association chairman Bryan Death stated the return of the codeshare should result in an immediate boost to arrival figures from Australia. [more - original PR]

Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated there is consideration of plans for a ban on electronic devices on services to/from Australia (SBS, 16-May-2017). The announcement comes after reports that US Homeland Security believes an expansion was likely. Mr Turnbull stated: "We are taking into account all of the information and advice we're receiving internationally and we're working very closely with our partners".

HRL Morrison & Co head of asset management Steven Fitzgerald, speaking at the CAPA Global Airport Leaders’ Forum, stated (16-May-2017) Perth Airport will "continue to push forward with terminal developments". Mr Fitzgerald also a non-executive director at Perth Airport Pty Ltd, notes the importance of planning "forward to the next great cycle".

Macquarie Bank division director of corporate financing Peter Farthing, speaking at the CAPA Global Airport Leaders’ Forum, stated (16-May-2017) the government intervention in Western Sydney Airport is "interesting", and "quite ridiculous" the project is scheduled for completion in 2026.