Tonga's Civil Aviation Division has suspended the Part 145 maintenance certificate of Lulutai Airlines (L8, Tongatapu), forcing the airline to ground all in-house flight operations until at least July 25, 2025.
On July 18, the regulator said that the suspension resulted from an audit that revealed unspecified "breaches of the Civil Aviation Rules." It said it would remain in force until corrective measures are adopted. Until then, Lulutai Airlines is not authorised to perform any line or heavy maintenance on its fleet.
The carrier confirmed in a statement that both of its in-house aircraft, Y12 A3-SPV (msn 32) and DHC-6-300 A3-KLT (msn 929), are grounded. Flightradar24 ADS-B data confirms they are parked at Tongatapu. This forced Lulutai to suspend services to Eua, Ha'apai, Niuafo'ou, and Niuatoputapu, stranding dozens of passengers at each of the remote islands. Local newspaper Matangi Tonga reported that at least 70 passengers, including the country's tourism minister Mo'ale Finau, are now unable to leave Ha'apai. Multiple foreign tourists are also stranded at Tongatapu, unable to travel onwards to resorts on other islands.
Lulutai Airlines also damp-leases Saab 340B ZK-CIZ (msn 340B-547) from New Zealand's Air Chathams, which continues to ply the Tongatapu-Vava'u route. Due to operational restrictions and insufficient runway lengths, the 34-seater cannot operate to any of the other islands.
The setback comes as the financially struggling airline was reportedly nearing a deal with a new investor to inject much-needed capital.
