Sydney-New York via Tahiti

The Australian

WHILE big airlines jockey for position over lucrative Sydney-US routes, a tiny airline based in Tahiti has slipped through to claim a win for French Polynesia.

Air Tahiti Nui (ATN), which boasts a fleet of four Airbus A340-300s with a fifth due in June, will start one-stop flights between Sydney and New York via Tahiti on July 9.

In the process it will patch a gap left by Qantas for direct flights to tropical Tahiti, capital of French Polynesia.

The new route will give Australians wanting to get to the Big Apple the option of a flight of about 21 hours – minus any transfer waits – and without a stopover at hectic Los Angeles Airport.

Airline, government and industry officials were in Sydney this week to trumpet the new route, which will be complemented by an advertising campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi, starting next month.

ATN chief operating officer Nelson Levy said more Australians were pouring into Pacific island nations such as Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands. With the downturn in South-East Asia, it was the right time to open up direct flights.

Previously, commercial flights to Tahiti were only available via Auckland under a code-share arrangement between ATN and Qantas.

Mr Levy, who helped establish the airline in 1998, said the new service made it easier for Australians, Europeans and Americans to get to Tahiti.

He said thousands of French and Italian people visited Tahiti each year and the new route would cut out the LA stop.

“In the 1980s Qantas used to fly 15,000 Australian visitors to Tahiti a year,” Mr Levy said.

“When they stopped non-stop flights, it dropped to 6000 or 7000.

“We expect New York to be a gateway for all European tourism – it will be much easier for Europeans to come to Tahiti.”

He said feedback from senior government officials, including NSW Tourism Minister Sandra Nori, showed many were excited at the prospect of tapping the densely populated north-east US market. He said going to Australia was now more attractive as travellers could break up the flight with a stop at Tahiti. A return flight between Sydney and Papeete would cost $1000 to $1200.

“We are planning a 50 per cent load factor on the Sydney route and a 60 per cent load factor on the US route,” Mr Levy said. “We can attract a lot of different customers in New York.”

A spokesman for ATN chief executive Christian Vernaudon said the airline became profitable in its fifth year. “There was no trouble getting regulation approval for the Sydney to Papeete route,” he said. “The bilateral agreements were already in place.”