Air Caledonie jab pays off

AIR CALEDONIE has in recent years constantly monitored and tried to tap into Fiji’s Australian and Japanese tourist market by sending a weekly flight to Nadi.

It’s campaign picked up momentum last year when the territorial government joined forces with the airline for top-level negotiations with Fiji aviation and Air Pacific officials for a possible service from Nadi-Noumea.

But Air Pacific’s response was the same it gives other islands seeking new or additional flights: it has a five-year plan to follow. The plan apparently looks at expanding its scope into Asian ports such as Taipei, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul and Hong Kong as well as North America.

A second proposal put to Air Pacific chief executive Andrew Drysdale was: a ATR-42 weekly flight to Wallis & Futuna.

Air Pacific claimed tourist, business or general passenger traffic between Nadi and Wallis and Futuna or Noumea were insufficient to sustain a regular service.

Traffic to Noumea is often erratic and that to Wallis & Futuna is “very, very low”, Air Caledonie was told. What Air Pacific could do instead was mount fortnightly charter flights.

Fiji has the right to fly a weekly service to Noumea.

Air Caledonie, which was earlier enthusiastic about a possible Tokyo- Nadi-Noumea connection has shelved that idea. UTA now services Noumea from Tokyo but traffic has not been all that promising last year.

Air Caledonie has been attempting to raise Japanese awareness in New Cale donie through EIE (Electronic & Indus trial Enterprises Inc), a wealthy property developer which since 1987 has been tapping new markets in the South Pacific.

EIE was given a 15 per cent stake in Air Caledonie in which the territorial government is a major partner, Sofrana Unilines and a resort group.

Air Caledonie International was founded in 1983 by Sofrana Unilines

shipping company and the then terri torial government. Since taking lo the air it has extended weekly services to Auckland (one), Melbourne (one), Bris bane (one), Nadi (one), and Papeete (one), Sydney (two), Wallis & Futuna (two), and Port Vila (four).

Air Caledonie managed a sales of SUS 22 million in 1990 but the figure declined last year because of a slowdown in Australian and New Zealand traffic.

Sales is also anticipated to stay de pressed this year because of the rather gradual improvement in outbound travel from Australia and also as a result of recent damages incurred by tropical

cyclones.

Air Caledonie’s executives that the airline’s continued profitability de pends largely not on increasing schedules but new hotels, especially Sheraton and Accor.

It’s said in Noumea that the chicken and egg principle cannot be held to be true to airlines and hotels in New Caledonia because the territory attracts a vast number of tourists on cruiseship visits.