Solomon Airlines will recommence flights to Santa Cruz Airport, Lata, thrice weekly starting December 1, 2022, following runway restoration undertaken by the Solomon Islands Government. The airline had suspended flights to Lata from August 2022, until the Santa Cruz runway could be restored to a safe condition. Since then, temporary services were operated from Honiara via Kirakira to Lomlom.
Gus Kraus, CEO of Solomon Airlines, said: “We are extremely pleased to return services to Lata for the people of Temotu Province, and just in time for the Christmas holidays. Lata has always been a key air route for Solomon Airlines and the restoration of the Santa Cruz runway is pivotal to our operations. We will be able to land the larger Dash 8 aircraft at Santa Cruz, which will allow us to upgrade our services further, improving comfort, seat capacity, and flying time for our passengers.”
The airline confirmed it is planning to bring back the additional Dash-8 flights on the weekends between Honiara, Munda, and Gizo as a part of its winter schedule.
“With the Dash-8 aircraft returning to service, we will have sufficient seats for the Christmas and New Year peak demand period. As we head into the peak Christmas and New Year season, regular flights to all of our leisure destinations of Munda, Gizo, Seghe, and Suavanao, will be vital to tourism recovery,” added Kraus.
Going ahead the airline plans to expand its operations if the demand rises over the holidays.