GOLD COAST, (ISLANDS BUSINESS) – Nauru’s national carrier will look at expanding into the Central Pacific.
The small operator has expanded services since 2005 and now operates five aircraft on a number of routes.
Geoff Bowmaker, CEO of Air Nauru, said the airline had extended services in the region and would conduct further studies before making decisions on further expansion.
“Our (market) research will continue and we’re looking at extending services in the Central Pacific,” Bowman said.
“There are still some bottlenecks which make it difficult for people to move from the north to the south.”
Bowman said there was an abundance of people who wanted to travel to the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia for fishing and diving holidays.
He made the comments at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange on the Gold Coast Saturday.
Air Nauru is currently the only service provider to the Marshalls with flights beginning in Brisbane and flying on through Nadi or Honiara to Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Using Nauru as its hub, the airline moves passengers from Brisbane, Nadi and Honiara using four Boeing 737-300 aircraft. It also operates a Boeing 737 freighter.
“We have found that the freight service is very important for our customers,” Bowmaker said.
Previously Air Nauru flew as far as Pohnpei in the FSM but extended the service to Chuuk in November 2015.
