Air Tahiti
Encyclopedia
Société Air Tahiti Société Anonyme is a regional airline
with its head office on the property of Faa'a International Airport
, in Faaa
, Tahiti
, French Polynesia
, near Papeete
. Air Tahiti's network covers 46 islands within French Polynesia, plus the island of Rarotonga
. Its main base is Faa'a International Airport.
Air Tahiti has 1,018 employees (at March 2007) and is owned by the French Polynesian Government (13.7%), Socredo Bank (13.4%), employees (8.4%), private shareholders (33.5), Air France
(7.48%) and the rest by other institutional investors.
, Anaa
, Apataki
, Arutua, Atuona
, Bora Bora
, Fakarava
, Gambier Islands
, Hao
(Focus City), Huahine
, Katiu
, Kauehi
, Kaukura Atoll, Makemo
, Manihi
, Mataiva
, Maupiti Island, Moorea
, Napuka
, Nuku Hiva
, Papeete
(Hub), Puka-Puka
, Raiatea
, Rairua, Raivavae
, Rangiroa
, Rurutu, Takapoto
, Takaroa
, Tikehau Atoll, Tubuai
, Ua Huka
, and Ua Pu
.
Since 2 April 2007 it has also operated an international flight to Rarotonga
, in the Cook Islands
.
The Air Tahiti fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 25 October 2010) http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=VT&al_op=1:
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
with its head office on the property of Faa'a International Airport
Faa'a International Airport
- Overview :The Faaa International Airport is a relatively small airport. Air Tahiti has flights every day going to all the other islands in French Polynesia while international flights go to different countries such as the United States or New Zealand. The airport is on Tahiti which is an island...
, in Faaa
Faaa
Faaa is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Faaa is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. Faaa has a population of 29,851, making...
, Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, near Papeete
Papeete
-Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront...
. Air Tahiti's network covers 46 islands within French Polynesia, plus the island of Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
. Its main base is Faa'a International Airport.
History
The airline was established and started operations in 1953 as Réseau Aérien Interinsulaire (RAI), when the government of French Polynesia took over the operations of small private carrier Air Tahiti, dating from 1950. In 1958 RAI was taken over by the French airline TAI (later UTA). The name Air Polynésie was adopted in 1970, with the further change of identity to Air Tahiti implemented in January 1987, when UTA sold its shares in Air Polynesie to local shareholders. In January 1987 ATR aircraft replaced earlier Fokker aircraft. In 2003 the airline carried nearly 729,000 passengers.Air Tahiti has 1,018 employees (at March 2007) and is owned by the French Polynesian Government (13.7%), Socredo Bank (13.4%), employees (8.4%), private shareholders (33.5), Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
(7.48%) and the rest by other institutional investors.
Destinations
Air Tahiti operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at January 2005): AheAhe
Ahe, Ahemaru or Omaru, is an almost entirely-enclosed coral atoll, located in the northern Tuamotu Archipelago, just 14 km to the west of Manihi, in French Polynesia.Ahe Atoll's ring shape is broken by only a single small passage into the lagoon....
, Anaa
Anaa
Anaa, Nganaa-nui is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago, in French Polynesia. It is located in the north-west of the archipelago, 350 km to the east of Tahiti. It oval in shape, 29.5 km in length and 6.5 km wide, with a total area 38 km²...
, Apataki
Apataki
Apataki is a coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, territorially part of French Polynesia. It is one of the Palliser Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Apataki is located approximately 370 kilometres northeast of the island of Tahiti. Its wide lagoon has two navigable passes to enter...
, Arutua, Atuona
Atuona
Atuona, located on Atuona Bay on the southern side of Hiva Oa island, is the administrative centre of the commune of Hiva-Oa. Atuona was the capital of all the Marquesas Islands but it has been replaced by Taiohae ....
, Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
, Fakarava
Fakarava
Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls. The nearest land is Toau Atoll, which lies 14 km to the northwest....
, Gambier Islands
Gambier Islands
There was a time when the Gambiers hosted a population of several thousand people and traded with other island groups including the Marquesas, the Society Islands and Pitcairn Islands...
, Hao
Hao (French Polynesia)
Hao, or Haorangi, is a large coral atoll in the central part of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Because of its shape, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville named it Harp Island....
(Focus City), Huahine
Huahine
Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group . The island has a population of about 6,000.-Geography:...
, Katiu
Katiu
Katiu, or Taungataki, is an atoll of the central Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 23.5 km west of Makemo Atoll's westernmost point....
, Kauehi
Kauehi
Kauehi, or Putake, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.The nearest land is Raraka Atoll, located 17 km to the Southeast.Kauehi Atoll is roughly kidney-shaped and has a wide lagoon; length 23 km, width 17 km....
, Kaukura Atoll, Makemo
Makemo
Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is one of the larger of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia.Makemo Atoll measures 70 km in length with an average width of 5–8 km. It is the fourth largest atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in terms of lagoon surface, with a lagoon of over 600 km²...
, Manihi
Manihi
Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14 km to the west...
, Mataiva
Mataiva
Mataiva or Tepoetiriura is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It is located in the Palliser group, and is the westernmost of the Tuamotus. The nearest atoll, Tikehau, is located 35 km to the east...
, Maupiti Island, Moorea
Moorea
Moʻorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km northwest of Tahiti. Its position is . Moʻorea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian...
, Napuka
Napuka
Napuka, or Pukaroa, is a small coral atoll in the Disappointment Islands, in the north-eastern part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located only 15 km to the southeast of Tepoto Nord, its nearest neighbor, forming a small group...
, Nuku Hiva
Nuku Hiva
Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It was formerly also known as Île Marchand and Madison Island....
, Papeete
Papeete
-Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront...
(Hub), Puka-Puka
Puka-Puka
Puka-Puka is a small coral atoll in the north-eastern Tuamotu Archipelago, sometimes included as a member of the Disappointment Islands. This atoll is quite isolated, the nearest land being Fakahina, located 182 km to the southwest....
, Raiatea
Raiatea
Raiatea , is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the 'center' of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the organised migrations to Hawaii, Aotearoa and other parts of East Polynesia started at...
, Rairua, Raivavae
Raivavae
Raivavae is an island that is part of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia.It sustains a population of 905 people on of land. Its highest point is the top of a dead volcano which is 437 meters high.It was annexed by France in 1880....
, Rangiroa
Rangiroa
Rangiroa or Te Kokōta , is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus, and one of the largest in the world . It is part of the Palliser group. The nearest atoll is Tikehau, located only 12 km to the West...
, Rurutu, Takapoto
Takapoto
Takapoto, Tua-poto or Oura, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.Length 17 km, width 6.4 km. Latitude 14° 42'; Longitude S 145° 15' W.The nearest land is Takaroa Atoll, located 10 km to the Northeast....
, Takaroa
Takaroa
Takaroa, Taka-roa or Takapua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. Length 27.4 km, width 7 km. Latitude 14° 27'; Longitude S 144° 59' W.The nearest land is Takapoto Atoll, located 10 km to the Southwest....
, Tikehau Atoll, Tubuai
Tubuai (Austral Islands)
Tubuai is the name of a group of islands and also the name of its main island, being part of the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, in the Pacific Ocean. Tubuai, the main island of the Tubuai Island group, is located at . It is south of Tahiti...
, Ua Huka
Ua Huka
Ua Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is situated in the northern group of the archipelago, approximately . to the east of Nuku Hiva, at .-Name:...
, and Ua Pu
Ua Pu
Ua Pu is the third largest of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located about 50 km south of Nuku Hiva, in the northern Marquesas...
.
Since 2 April 2007 it has also operated an international flight to Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
.
Fleet
- 3 ATR 42-500ATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
- 7 ATR 72-500ATR 72The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. ATR and Airbus are both built in Toulouse, and share resources and technology...
- 1 Twin OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterThe DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
(Owned by the French Polynisian Government) - 1 BeechcraftBeechcraftBeechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
.
Previously operated
In August 2006 the airline also operated :- 1 Dornier 228-200Dornier Do 228The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...