Air Tahiti

Not to be confused with Air Tahiti Nui.
Air Tahiti
IATA
VT		 ICAO
VTA		 Callsign
AIR TAHITI
Founded 1987
Hubs Faaa International
Fleet size 10
Destinations 47
Headquarters Faaa, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France
Website https://www.airtahiti.com

Air Tahiti is a French airline company which operates in French Polynesia. Despite its private company status, it has a public service mission. Its principal base is Faaa International Airport.

Air Tahiti Company

Its activities

The primary purpose of Air Tahiti is scheduled air transportation between the islands of French Polynesia. However, the company provides other related activities in the field of aviation.

Domestic air transportation

From Tahiti, Air Tahiti operates 46 islands of French Polynesia, connecting more than 90 percent of the population. The company provides administrative, school and medical exchanges between Tahiti and her islands, contributing to the development of the Territory.

Charter flights

To meet specific and selective requests, Air Tahiti charters its aircraft for the transport of clients and/or goods. For the latter, some ATRs can be converted into freighters. The cabin is reconfigured and the seats removed to allow the loading of freight. Thus, Air Tahiti is regularly chartered to transport oysters (from abroad to the islands) or agricultural products (flowers, potatoes, fruit).

ATR maintenance

Air Tahiti aircraft maintenance is performed at the Technical Center of the company. The maintenance schedule is based on a basis cycle of 400 hours for ATR. Air Tahiti Technical Center expertise is recognized by the manufacturer and by other companies of the region. Thus, in 2009, Air Tahiti has ensured for Pacific Sun (subsidiary of Air Pacific), majors maintenances operations for their ATR.

Airport assistance for the international stopover

Air Tahiti provides assistance for international airlines serving the airport of Tahiti-Faa’a, by carrying out on their behalf: the check-in and boarding of their passengers and their luggage, the catering, the cabin cleaning, the handling and managing of the international freight.

Air Tahiti capital share

Air Tahiti share capital is 2.76 billion francs XPF.

Subsidiaries and shares

Numbers and financial data

2009
Turnover - Passengers 10 088 000
Turnover - Freight 688 000 000
Residents passengers 550 000
International passengers 197 600
Employees in permanent contract 1 272

The network

Air Tahiti covers a network of 47 islands in French Polynesia, an area as large as Europe (5.5 million square kilometres). The nearest island from Tahiti, Moorea, is 15 km away and is connected by plane in seven minutes. The furthest one, Mangareva in the Gambier archipelago, is 1600 km distant from Tahiti and is connected in about 3hr 30min (non-stop flight).

Network map

Check their web site

Flying in French Polynesia

The Polynesian network is quite atypical. Among the 47 runways, some are made of tarmac while others (particularly the islands of the East Tuamotu archipelagos) are of crushed coral.

Another significant consideration in the organization of Polynesian airline service is the hour of sunset-only 11 runways are equipped with lighting for night access.

As a security measure, flying over water implies never flying more than a certain distance from a diversionary airstrip. Given this constraint, the path of some flights may not be linear, but indirect. To overcome this constraint, Air Tahiti had to be certified ETOPS (Extended Twin Operation) on aircraft in its fleet. It is also the first company to have achieved this certification on ATR72.

Islands served on ATR (regular flights only) by Archipelago

Society Islands

Tuamotu Archipelago

East Tuamotu-Gambier archipelago

Marquesas archipelago

Austral archipelago

Islands served on Twin Otter (regular flights only) by Archipelago

Marquesas archipelago

Islands served on Beechcraft or Twin Otter (unscheduled only) by archipelago

Tuamotu archipelago

International flight by ATR

Fleet

Air Tahiti ATR72 F-OIQR at Bora Bora Airport

As of July 2014, the Air Tahiti fleet consists of:[1]

Air Tahiti Fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers
(Economy)
ATR 42-500 3 0 48
ATR 72-500 6 0 66
ATR 42-600 1 8 48
Total 10 7

The Twin Otter belongs to the territorial government; it is operated by the airline to link the Marquesas islands of Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Pou and Ua Huka (the latter two cannot accommodate the ATR). The King Air B200 from Air Archipels serves the Tuamotu Archipelago, which is not served regularly by ATRs.

Company history

The story of Air Tahiti is closely linked to the history of aviation in Polynesia.

The debut by seaplane

Far away from continents, Polynesia was late in developing air routes. It was only during the Second World War that aviation took off in earnest with the construction of the first runway in 1943, in Bora Bora, by U.S. forces. In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans intended to protect and supply routes between the U.S. coast and the southwest Pacific.

Regular commercial air service between the islands started in 1950 at the initiative of a handful of entrepreneurs who created the company Air Tahiti. The flights were operated by a 7-seater seaplane, a Grumman Widgeon J-4F. With such low capacity, the need for a second aircraft was quickly apparent.

In 1951, the French Ministry for the Overseas purchased on behalf of the Territory a Grumman Mallard. Gradually, Air Tahiti spread its wings to all the islands of French Polynesia. In June 25, 1953, the first landing in the Gambier archipelago was achieved. In October 1953, the first flight to the Marquesas islands took place with a sea-landing at Taiohae / Nuku Hiva.

In July 1953, TAI (Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux - International Air Transports)' a commercial exploitation of RAI (Régie Aérienne Interinsulaire – Inter-Island Aviation Board), asserted its rights in the mutual allocation of local transports, under an agreement with Air France.

The Territory withdrew the Mallard licence from Air Tahiti in favour of TAI. The Air Tahiti brand then disappeared. RAI operated for the Department of Public Works and Transport. It acquired two Catalina seaplanes to expand links between the islands of French Polynesia. These aircraft with orange livery received a F-OA registration restricted to aircraft operated overseas.

Gradually, the network continued to expand. In 1955, the Austral archipelagos inaugurated seaplane service with the opening of routes to Tubuai and Raivavae. In 1958, the "Régie" became "Réseau" (Inter-Island Aviation Network).

The development of runways

Although seaplanes would seem appropriate to the insular context, it is difficult to find suitable large bodies of water, unhindered and protected from sea swell. Therefore it became necessary to quickly develop runways and airstrips.

With the opening of the Tahiti Faa'a international airport in 1960, Tahiti could host international commercial flights. Thereafter, a vast construction program of runways was launched by the French Government over the whole of French Polynesia. As a result, four runways were built in the 1960s and 27 in the following decade.

Air Polynesia

In 1970, RAI became Air Polynesia, a subsidiary of UTA. Nicknamed "Air Po" by Polynesians, the company asserted more of its Polynesian identity and implemented regular services throughout French Polynesia and especially to the more remote islands.

Air Tahiti

In 1986, the former UTA (by then absorbed by Air France) sold Air Polynesia shares to local investors. This assignment gave birth in 1986 to Air Tahiti as we know it today. The new company, wanting to modernize, in 1987 acquired its first ATR 42, marking the beginning of a long collaboration with the aircraft manufacturer ATR.

Accidents

Air Tahiti has coped with one accident since 1987.

On April 18, 1991, approaching the airport of "Nuku A Taha/ Terre Déserte" in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, following an engine failure, the Dornier 228 F-OHAB flying the route attempted to land near the coast. Ten passengers out of twenty in the aircraft were killed.

References

  1. ↑ Air Tahiti Fleet Details and History

1. ↑ "The Fleet" [archive]. Air Tahiti.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air Tahiti.