Polynesian Airlines
Encyclopedia
Polynesian Airlines is the national airline
of Samoa
and has its headquarters in the Samoa National Provident Fund Building in the capital, Apia
. It formerly flew all over the Pacific but with the establishment of Polynesian Blue
by the government and Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia), Polynesian Airlines has restricted itself to shorter flights to neighbouring islands. Its main base is Fagali'i International Airport, Apia.
The airline was established in 1959 and started operations in August 1959 with services between Apia and Pago Pago
in American Samoa
using a Percival Prince
aircraft. The government of Western Samoa acquired a controlling interest in 1971. In 1982 Ansett Airlines
of Australia
signed a five year management contract with the government to run the airline. This was extended for a further ten years in 1987. In February 1995 a commercial alliance with Air New Zealand
was signed to develop marketing, sales and operational relationships. International jet operations have been taken over by Polynesian Blue. The airline is wholly owned by the Government of Samoa, which also has a 49% holding in Polynesian Blue.
in American Samoa, using a fleet of two de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
aircraft with 19 seats each.
and Wellington
in New Zealand
; Brisbane
, Melbourne
and Sydney
in Australia; Rarotonga
in the Cook Islands
; Papeete
in French Polynesia
; and Honolulu
and Los Angeles
in the United States
on a code share basis with Air New Zealand and in its own right with leased Boeing 767
s – an operation that bankrupted the airline.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and has its headquarters in the Samoa National Provident Fund Building in the capital, Apia
Apia, Samoa
-Administration:Apia is part of the Tuamasaga political district and of election district Vaimauga West and Faleata East. There is no city administration for Apia. Apia consists of some 45 individual, independent villages...
. It formerly flew all over the Pacific but with the establishment of Polynesian Blue
Polynesian Blue
Polynesian Blue is a Virgin Blue Holdings airline that flies between Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. It is 49% owned by the Samoan government,...
by the government and Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia), Polynesian Airlines has restricted itself to shorter flights to neighbouring islands. Its main base is Fagali'i International Airport, Apia.
History
Pago Pago, American Samoa
Pago Pago , also spelled ', is the capital of American Samoa. In 2000, its population was 11,500. The city is served by Pago Pago International Airport. Tourism, entertainment, food, and tuna canning are the primary industries here. From 1878 to 1951, this was a coaling and repair station for the...
in American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
using a Percival Prince
Percival Prince
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972: Volume III. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0 85177 818 6.*Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London:Putnam, 1978. ISBN 0 370 30021 1....
aircraft. The government of Western Samoa acquired a controlling interest in 1971. In 1982 Ansett Airlines
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
signed a five year management contract with the government to run the airline. This was extended for a further ten years in 1987. In February 1995 a commercial alliance with Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
was signed to develop marketing, sales and operational relationships. International jet operations have been taken over by Polynesian Blue. The airline is wholly owned by the Government of Samoa, which also has a 49% holding in Polynesian Blue.
Destinations and fleet
As of May 2011 the airline operates scheduled services between the airport at Fagali'i in Samoa and Pago Pago International AirportPago Pago International Airport
Pago Pago International Airport , also referred to as Tafuna Airport , Tafuna Airfield, Tafuna Airbase or Pago Pago International with airport designation PPG is a public airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on...
in American Samoa, using a fleet of two de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The 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...
aircraft with 19 seats each.
Earlier route network
Polynesian Airlines previously serviced the following international destinations: AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in Australia; 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...
; 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...
in 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...
; and Honolulu
Honolulu International Airport
Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway of the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii and is identified as one of the busiest airports in the United States, with traffic now exceeding 21 million passengers a year and rising.It is located in the Honolulu...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on a code share basis with Air New Zealand and in its own right with leased Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
s – an operation that bankrupted the airline.
Accidents and incidents
- On 11 May 1966 at around 18:10 local time, the three crew members operating a Polynesian Airlines Douglas R4D-5 (registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
5W-FAB) on training flight lost control of the aircraft when a door separated mid-flight over the Apolima StraitApolima StraitThe Apolima Strait is about 13km wide and separates the two largest islands of Samoa, the island of Savai'i to the northwest, and Upolu to the southeast....
, by which the vertical stabilizerVertical stabilizerThe vertical stabilizers, vertical stabilisers, or fins, of aircraft, missiles or bombs are typically found on the aft end of the fuselage or body, and are intended to reduce aerodynamic side slip. It is analogical to a skeg on boats and ships.On aircraft, vertical stabilizers generally point upwards...
was damaged. There were no survivors of the subsequent crash. - On 13 January 1970 at 02:54 local time, Polynesian Airlines Flight 208B, which was operated by a Douglas C-47B (registered 5W-FAC), crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from Faleolo International AirportFaleolo International AirportFaleolo International Airport is an airport located west of Apia, the capital of Samoa.Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737...
on an international non-scheduled passenger flight to Pago Pago International AirportPago Pago International AirportPago Pago International Airport , also referred to as Tafuna Airport , Tafuna Airfield, Tafuna Airbase or Pago Pago International with airport designation PPG is a public airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on...
, American Samoa, killing the 29 passengers and three crew on board. - On 20 August 1988, a Polynesian Airlines Britten-Norman IslanderBritten-Norman IslanderThe Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
(registered 5W-FAF) was damaged beyond repair when it overshot the runway upon landing at Asau AirportAsau AirportAsau Airport is a small domestic airfield located in the thick dense jungle at the northwest end of Savai'i in Samoa. The airport is in the village of Asau and mainly services chartered flights.This airport is open daily for 12 hours a day...
. - On 7 January 1997 at around 11:00 local time, a Polynesian Airlines 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...
crashed into Mount VaeaMount VaeaMount Vaea is a 472m summit overlooking Apia, the capital of Samoa located on the north central coast of Upolu island. The mountain is situated south about 3 km inland from Apia township and harbour...
in Samoa during bad weather conditions, a so-called controlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
. The aircraft had been operating Flight 211 from Pago Pago to Apia, when the pilots decided to divert to Faleolo Airport. In the crash, two of three passengers and one of the two pilots lost their lives.