New Zealand / Election 2008

Air NZ suspends all flights to Vanuatu

20:24 pm on 22 January 2016

Air New Zealand is suspending flights to Vanuatu indefinitely because of worries about the condition of the runway at Port Vila's airport.

Port Vila international airport Photo: RNZ

The airline said the runway had been gradually deteriorating and it was suspending flights before the situation became unsafe.

There will be one more flight from Port Vila to Auckland on Sunday, to bring back people who are visiting Vanuatu.

The airline said technical experts would be in Port Vila to oversee Sunday's arrival and departure.

It said passengers who have already booked tickets to Vanuatu will be given the option of a full refund or tickets to another Pacific or Tasman destination.

The suspension affected Air New Zealand's weekly flight to Vanuatu and twice-weekly flights that it codeshared with Air Vanuatu.