SOLOMON Airlines is still to confirm its timing to resume flights to Nadi, Fiji, following the lifting of the ban on Monday.
General Manager Commercial and Operations, Gus Kraus, said the decision will be made when the delegation that did the negotiation return to Honiara.
“We will need to have an audience with them before we could take it from there,” Mr Kraus said.
The delegation include Milner Tozaka – Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, and Minister responsible for Aviation, PS Beraki Jino, Attorney General Billy Titiulu, Solicitor-General Savenaca Banuve, HE and George Satu, Director Civil Aviation.
Mr Kraus said the company cannot make its decision based on media reports but will get actual feedback from the group.
Mr Tozaka and Hon Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney General and Minister of Civil Aviation of Fiji ended the long drawn airline’s impasse after they signed an agreement in Fiji, Monday.
Both countries agreed to use diplomatic channels to resolve the issue which had started in July last year.
They have agreed that Air services between the two countries will continue to be undertaken in accordance with the 1990 Air Services Agreement and a 2010 Memorandum of Understanding currently in place between the two countries.
Under the ASA and MOU, the designated airlines, Solomon Airlines and Fiji Airways, are entitled to operate a total of three (3) flights per week without the need for any additional approval.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Airways has confirmed it will begin flights to Solomon Island in March.
CEO Stefan Pichler says they will now start selling the flights.
He says they do not want the flights to run empty, thus it will take two months to market the flights.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
