Airports Vanuatu

AIRPORTS VANUATU

AIRPORTS VANUATU SUPPLY CHAIN

PAC I F I C PA R A D I S E Through landmark projects and events, Airports Vanuatu is supporting the country’s socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic Writer: Jack Salter Project Manager: Ryan Gray

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viation is absolutely critical to the economy of Vanuatu.

Providing essential transport links for tourism, trade, and disaster response and recovery, Vanuatu’s aviation industry is the third largest in the Pacific (excluding Australia and New Zealand) in terms of traffic size and complexity, after Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Home to white sandy beaches, beautiful clear waters and diverse coral reefs, travel goes firmly hand in hand with tourism in Vanuatu, another important pillar of the island nation’s economy that provides roughly a quarter of its GDP and employs thousands across the country.

Airports Vanuatu (AVL), founded as a government entity in 2000, is the proud owner and operator 2 | APAC Outlook issue 55

of Vanuatu’s three main airports: Bauerfield International Airport, Santo Pekoa International Airport, and Tanna Airport. Located on the paradisaic islands of Efaté, Espiritu Santo, and Tanna, respectively, they account for 87 percent of all scheduled flights in Vanuatu.

The three airports work together with airline partners to facilitate safe, secure and reliable air access, both for international visitors travelling to and from Vanuatu and for natives flying domestically and to the rest of the world.

TRAVEL RECOVERY Travel has, however, been heavily disrupted in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovering global air connectivity whilst balancing the risks of COVID-19 has been a challenging task for AVL, who early on recognised the need for strong measures to protect public health.

Mercifully, as the world learns to live with COVID-19, domestic air travel in Vanuatu is now showing signs of recovery. Passenger movements across the company’s three airports were up by 42 percent in August last year compared to 2020, although still down from 2019 when markets and borders were fully open prior to the pandemic.

Aerial view of the Port Vila city and bay with the Iririki resort island in Vanuatu’s capital city

The safe opening of Vanuatu’s border is a government priority in support of the country’s socioeconomic recovery from the COVID19 pandemic. As such, the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) has been working with AVL, as well as customs and immigration agencies, to process planning for the opening of safe travel pathways with selected countries.

A milestone event in AVL’s journey to reopening the country’s borders once again would take place a few months later in October 2021, with the successful departure of seasonal workers for Christchurch in New Zealand (NZ).

After months of planning, this was the first quarantine-free flight to depart from Vanuatu since the

pandemic began, taking off from AVL’s Bauerfield International Airport in the capital city of Port Vila and carrying workers to the largest city in NZ’s South Island. The flight is vital to the horticulture and viticulture industries in NZ, filling a critical labour shortage during the harvest season.

It is a true win-win, as not only do the NZ farmers benefit from skilled agricultural labour, but the ni-Vanuatu workers gain skills and earn income to make remittances to their families back home, paying school fees for their children and helping them to invest in their own businesses on their return.

ESSENTIAL WORKS The World Bank has supported the Government of Vanuatu through the

Vanuatu Airport Investment Project (VAIP), a US$73.9 million investment to help repair and rehabilitate Vanuatu’s three main airports, critical to ensuring a safe and reliable aviation sector in the country.

VAIP is delivering sector reform, along with important upgrades to runways, terminal infrastructure and air traffic control management for Vanuatu’s international airports.

Bauerfield International Airport, for example, was sorely in need of an upgrade, with major works now completed including runway rehabilitation, new lighting installations, and a new domestic terminal, representing some of the largest ever infrastructure development works in the history of Vanuatu.

AIRPORTS VANUATU – AT A GLANCE VISION: Developing a sustainable aviation hub in the South Pacific, to be the pride of Vanuatu and enable people to connect.

VALUES: Promoting fairness, unity, accountability, perseverance, and respect.

A move that will allow the airport to welcome wide-bodied jet aircraft in accordance with ICAO standards, it is a gamechanger for Vanuatu, which now has the potential to directly access new travel and trade markets APAC Outlook issue 55 | 3

AIRPORTS VANUATU SUPPLY CHAIN

in the likes of Asia and North America and fly more passengers from further afield.

The upgraded runway at Bauerfield International Airport will also ensure large emergency response aircraft can land safely during times of disaster.

The role of aviation in the ability to respond to natural disasters was highlighted by Cyclone Pam in 2015, a Category 5 cyclone that caused damage to airports and left thousands homeless.

TANNA GOES SOLAR Meanwhile, Tanna Airport’s solar airfield lighting project is of huge operational significance to AVL’s airline partners, airport users, the community, and the province.

Providing lighting for the airfield and extending the hours of operation for flights, the project will be

completed with funding support sourced from the Government of Vanuatu’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities.

Air access is critical for remote provinces such as Tafea, where Tanna Airport acts as the hub to the region, linking the capital Port Vila to Tanna and the outer island communities of Aneityum, Futuna, Erromango, and Aniwa.

Beyond the operational benefits of the project, it has environmental sustainability at its core thanks to the use of solar energy, aligned with AVL’s vision to develop a sustainable aviation hub in the South Pacific and commitment to lower its carbon footprint and support the global aviation community in achieving its goals of reducing its environmental impact.

AVL aims to achieve this through

Vanuatu Tourism Office Vanuatu Volcano Run. The first-ever Vanuatu Volcano Run was held in 2021, up the slopes of one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes, Mt. Yasur on Tanna Island, where Hollywood actor, Will Smith explored in 2019.

With over 70 participants from all walks of life competing, the 25 km run saw competitors take on creeks, cheered through villages by friendly locals, darting across ash plains and finally summiting to Mt Yasur. An incredible adventure for all involved!

The 2022 Volcano Run is currently being planned, raising interests from International competitors. It is a once in a lifetime experience, but not for the faint hearted.

Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila, Vanuatu (VLI)

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www.vanuatu.travel/en/volcanorun

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Santo-Pekoa International Airport (SON)

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MAP B Y B Y ERIC GAB A ( S TING - F R :STING) - OWN WORKTOPOGRAPHY: NASA SHUTTL MISSION ( S RTM3 V. 2 ) ( P UB L IC DOMAIN) ; B ATHYMETRY: NGDC ETOPO1 ( P UB L IC DOMAIN) ; S NGDC GSHHS ( P UB L IC DOMAIN) ; NGDC WDB I I ( P UB L IC DOMAIN) ; NGA PGS ( P UB L IC DOM

AIRPORTS VANUATU SUPPLY CHAIN

AIRPORT HEALTH ACCREDITATION PROGRAMME In September 2021, Bauerfield International Airport’s application to be certified under the Airport Health Accreditation Programme was approved and granted.

Being certified under the programme has significant benefits for the airport, which are then passed on to airport users, who can have confidence that best practice measures are being implemented for their health and safety.

THE PROGRAMME: • Enables airports to demonstrate to passengers, staff, regulators, and governments that they are prioritising health and safety.

• Allows airports to validate their own measures throughout their facilities and processes.

• Reassures the travelling public using the airport’s facilities.

• Promotes the recognition of professional excellence in maintaining safe hygienic facilities.

• Advocates best practices and aligns efforts across the industry.

• Ensures harmonisation between International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) global guidance and industry implementation.

participation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme, which guides airports to actively reduce their carbon footprint through various initiatives.

The solar technology is proven, operates well in other similar locations, and is ideally suited to the open location of Tanna Airport and the sunshine enjoyed on the island. A relatively straightforward installation, the solar airfield lighting requires minimal preparation with no cabling or trenching, and has also increased flexibility for future airport expansion.

Ultimately, the greatest benefit of the project is the sustainability of solar energy as a power source, which minimises ongoing operating costs.

In what will be a landmark investment for AVL and Tanna Airport, the airfield lighting is set to bring long term benefits to users and the wider community, something that AVL is committed to delivering across Vanuatu.

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AIRPORTS VANUATU

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