LEITHEN FRANCIS / SINGAPORE
Airlines have secured an emergency landing strip for extended-range twin-engined operations (ETOPS) across the South Pacific and avoided the possibility of having to make costly detours to meet regulatory requirements.
For decades airlines in the region have met ETOPS rules by having a US military airstrip on Johnston Atoll designated for diversions, but this airstrip will be decommissioned on 26 December. "The airstrip on Kiribati's Christmas Island will be available for Boeing 767 and 737 ETOPS when the Johnston Atoll airstrip closes," says Association of South Pacific Airlines secretary general George Faktaufon. He adds that the Christmas Island airstrip is only used for daytime flights by some Aloha Airlines Boeing 737s, so it needs to be upgraded to handle night flights and larger 767s.
Work includes installing a standby generator, night lights and some replacement VHF communication equipment. Faktaufon says the Kiribati government has agreed to pay for most of the upgrade, which will cost up to $400,000. Some airlines will make "token" contributions and have agreed to cover costs incurred as a result of the strip becoming an emergency runway, he adds.
Carriers involved in the negotiations were Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, Polynesian Airlines and Qantas. Faktaufon says Air Canada, Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines will also benefit.
Source: Flight International