Summary
- Aircalin plans to launch its own services between Nouméa and Paris, however the feasibility of the route is an enormous challenge attributable to the long flight time and the airline’s small fleet.
- The airline is considering adding latest aircraft, either the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350, to expand its fleet and make the Nouméa-Paris route possible.
- A stopover in Asia, most probably Bangkok or Singapore, could be required for the Nouméa-Paris flights, as direct service or a stopover in Seoul or Tokyo isn’t feasible. The airline goals to begin the services in 2026 with two weekly frequencies.
Aircalin has reiterated its intention to launch its own services to Paris from its Nouméa hub. Noumea is the capital of Latest Caledonia, a French overseas territory made up of several Islands within the South Pacific. It’s roughly 20 hours from the French capital by plane, meaning the feasibility of such a route for a small airline is an enormous challenge.
Aircalin has grown in recent times, reintroducing essential routes for Latest Caledonians and emerging from severe losses, with profits recorded in 2022 and further growth achieved this 12 months. Nevertheless, Latest Caledonia stays unconnected mainly from the French mainland, with only one-stop, indirect services available through connecting flights.
Aircraft additions
Chief Executive Officer Georges Selefen announced on the delivery event that the airline was planning to launch one-stop flights to Paris with a brand new aircraft – meaning the plan doesn’t foresee Airbus A330neo operation. In an interview with Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, Selefen said (translated from French):
“We’re certain that this route would bring rather a lot when it comes to jobs. We’re also convinced that we would want to regulate our fleet as with our current Airbus A330neo aircraft we cannot do it [Paris]. Consequently, we might should adjust our long haul fleet with a purpose to get to Paris, and it is because of this that we’re currently working with Airbus and other manufacturers to propose offers that will allow us to do it.”
Photo: Aircalin
Selefen added that this announcement resulted from months of labor, which concluded that the airline would want to expand its fleet with either the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350. The Airbus A330neo’s range is deemed insufficient to operate the service.
As well as, the 2 Airbus A330-900 aircraft that Aircalin operates are deployed on flights to Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, and Papeete. In other words, the airline lacks the capability with its existing fleet to launch a lengthy service to Paris. Note that the flight time between Nouméa and Singapore, and Tokyo is roughly 8 hours one-way.
The airline is considering starting services in 2026 with the brand new aircraft, allowing for 2 weekly frequencies.
Stopover selections
He adds that the route wouldn’t be direct and would require a stop at a destination in Asia. On the table are Bangkok and Singapore. The CEO said (translated from French):
“We’re currently studying the probabilities. Quite a lot of scenarios are possible. Indeed, Singapore appears to be the stopover that’s essentially the most attractive, but there may be also Bangkok which, for us, is essentially the most advantageous stopover within the sense that we could gain 1 hour to 1 hour half-hour of flight time. Tokyo, for the moment, isn’t possible given the closure of the Siberian route. We prefer to base ourselves on South East Asia.”
This logic also means a service via Seoul isn’t feasible, as underlined by Le Journal de l’Aviation.
Currently, services to Paris can be found only through one-stop connecting flights. For a passenger trying to depart from Nouméa, Aircalin offers the choice of flying to Tokyo Narita with its Airbus A330-900 and connecting with codeshare partner Air France to proceed the remainder of the trip. Similarly, Aircalin offers the choice of flying to Singapore – once more with its Airbus A330-900 – before connecting to Singapore Airlines on their flights to Paris. Now, Aircalin desires to operate its own flights. When asked whether this ambition has caused tensions with French flag carrier Air France, Selefen said (translated from French):
“Not for the moment, no. There aren’t any negative signals in that sense, we’re cooperating and collaborating with Air France, a historic partnership that now we have had for 20 years and we intend to think about and respect them on this journey.”
Ancient ambitions
This isn’t the primary time Aircalin has checked out establishing service between Nouméa and Paris. In 2022, Aviation Week Network reported that Aircalin was considering adding a 3rd widebody aircraft to satisfy this ambition. On the time, it was understood that this aircraft could be one other Airbus A330-900. Talking to Aviation Week Network, now former Aircalin CEO Didier Tappero said:
“We’re working with Airbus [to] eventually [order] a 3rd widebody aircraft. We wish to have the capability to fly Paris to Noumea, but it surely continues to be a project now we have to work on.”
Historically, there have been services (with stops) between Paris and Nouméa. Air France used to operate this service with their Boeing 747-400 fleet but suspended it in March 2003. Air Austral also recently attempted to capture a few of this market, launching services between the 2 sectors via Sydney and La Réunion with a Boeing 787 until 2012, in accordance with Le Journal de l’Aviation.
Photo: Airbus
Flourishing fleet
Comments concerning the airline’s continued interest in linking Nouméa with Paris got here on the delivery of its second Airbus A320neo aircraft on December 26, registered F-ONEA. The aircraft has entered business service with a rotation to Brisbane from Nouméa.
How Does Aircalin’s Present Fleet Makeup Align With Its Sustainability Goals?
Despite its small size, the carrier has big ambitions in terms of sustainability.
Aircalin has grown its fleet in recent times, comprising two Airbus A320neos and two Airbus A330neos. The modest fleet has a median age of three years, in accordance with Planespotters.net. The airline retired its Airbus A330-200 fleet in February 2020 and its Airbus A320-200 fleet in April 2021.
Photo: Aircalin
Encouraging evolution
On June 1, 2023, Aircalin’s Chief Executive Officer, Didier Tappero, was replaced by Georges Selefen. Since then, the airline has continued its transformation technique to avoid the losses it made before (and through) the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant losses in 2012 forced the airline to reconsider its approach and thus launched into a metamorphosis program. Based on a report published by Franceinfo, the situation improved in 2014. Nonetheless, a couple of years later, the COVID-19 pandemic led to historic losses.
It launched into the with Aircalin 2021, an the airline said. This included its fleet renewal and minor internal changes, including redefinition of its values and a whole overhaul of its funds, salaries, and technology.
Earlier this month, franceinfo inquired concerning the airline’s current financial situation in an interview with latest Chief Executive Officer Georges Selefen. He responded (translated from French):
“We’re still within the recovery period. We’ve not yet reached the outcomes we had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We anticipate returning to this level in 2025-2026. We should not making a loss but are breaking even with gradual and regular improvement.”
During the last 12 months or so, Aircalin has grown its network. This includes the launch of flights to Singapore as of July 1, 2022, and the resumption of the path to Melbourne, which was reopened earlier this month, suspended attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, a route between Nouméa (Latest Caledonia), Nadi (Fiji) and Papeete (French Polynesia) was also reopened after a 23-year hiatus having been suspended in 2000.