Samoa Air was a scheduled and charter passenger airline based in Pago Pago, American Samoa. It operated passenger flights in between American Samoa, Samoa, and Tonga.
| |||||||
| Founded | 1987 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | September 2003 | ||||||
| Hubs | Pago Pago International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 4 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Pago Pago, American Samoa | ||||||
The airline ceased to operate in September 2003 after failing to lease another aircraft and for bankruptcy protection after having operated since 1987.
History
editAn airline named Samoa Air started operations in 1985, with flights from Pago Pago to Honolulu using a leased Boeing 707.[1]
Samoa Air started operations on January 18, 1987, with a single de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.[2] In 1990 both the airline's Twin Otters were damaged in Niue by Cyclone Ofa.[3] In 1996 it was operating Twin Otters between Pago Pago and the Manuʻa Islands, and a Beechcraft King Air to Vavaʻu in Tonga, as well as flights to Apia in Samoa.[2] In January 1997 it celebrated its 10th anniversary.[4]
In June 2002 the company announced plans to expand into a regional airline covering all of Polynesia.[5] In July 2003 it attempted to raise capital for a jet service to Honolulu.[6] In September 2003 it ceased all operations after failing to lease another aircraft to replace its sole Twin Otter, which was scheduled for maintenance.[7] After failing to secure further investors, it sought bankruptcy protection in December 2003.[8] This occurred during a pending lawsuit in the High Court of American Samoa, which was settled on 2 December 2003, by Pratt & Whitney for unpaid rent and damages to leased aircraft engines which they returned with missing parts.[9] This led them to be charged over $370,000 for the damages to the engines.[9] At the time of its dissolution in 2003 it did two flights daily to the islands of Manu'a, one daily service to Samoa, and weekly flights to Tonga.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Samoan airline in service". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 56, no. 4. 1 April 1985. p. 24. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "Serving the Pacific". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 66, no. 12. 1 December 1996. p. 36. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ravaged by winds and seas". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 60, no. 3. 1 March 1990. p. 15. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Celebrating 10 years in the Pacific". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 66, no. 6. 1 June 1996. p. 45. Retrieved 17 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Samoa company plans a regional airline". RNZ. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "American Samoan airline seeks capital for new venture". RNZ. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Samoa Air suspends service". RNZ. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Samoa Air files for bankruptcy protection". RNZ. 16 December 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ a b "7ASR3d198". American Samoa Bar Association. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC UNITED NATIONS ESCAP TOURISM REVIEW NO. 23". repository.unescap.org. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
