The Vanuatu government wants to revive state-owned Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) “from the ground up” and is advertising for board positions, according to Port Vila's Daily Post.
"Once we have a new board of directors, they will oversee the full restructure and future management of the airline," a government spokesperson told the newspaper.
The government called in the liquidators to sell Air Vanuatu in 2024 after years of losses and unsustainable debt levels. A Vanuatu Foreign Ministry shelf company called AV3 went on to acquire the airline, keeping it under government control. After a period of suspension, Air Vanuatu has recommenced some domestic flights but no longer flies any international routes.
The Vanuatu government is pinning its hopes on Airbus returning a deposit for a cancelled A220 order to financially kickstart the airline but Airbus has repeatedly said the money is forfeited. Nonetheless, ch-aviation is aware that Johnny Koanapo, Vanuatu's deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economic management, is travelling to France this month to plead the government's case.
