Air Vanuatu: Ernst and Young called in as administrators as flights cancelled

International flights have been cancelled while local authorities consider placing Air Vanuatu into voluntary administration, leaving the holiday plans of Australian travellers under a cloud.

A statement from the airline said Ernst and Young had been appointed to assist the Vanuatu Government “in reviewing available options and put forward recommendations”.

“Ernst & Young representatives arrived in Port Vila today to begin an assessment of Air Vanuatu’s financials and are being assisted by the Vanuatu Government and the Air Vanuatu team,” the statement said.

All flights for the next three days — from Thursday through to Saturday inclusive — have been cancelled.

Future flights, from Sunday onwards, are “under review”, according to the statement.

The Vanuatu-based airline flies between Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and a range of Pacific Island locations.

On Thursday, the airline either cancelled or rescheduled as many as 20 flights across the Pacific.

Air Vanuatu partners with both Qantas and Jetstar to provide flights to the Pacific, as well as Fiji Airways, Air Calin, Air Nuigini and Solomon Airlines.

The airline hit the news in September 2023 when hundreds of Aussies were left stranded after a string of cancelled flights.

At least 26 flights were grounded with passengers reportedly given very little information about the sudden cancellations.

Flights from Port Vila, Vanutatu’s capital, to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland were impacted.

The airline later said the cancellations came about because engineers were waiting on a part for the Boeing 737 that serviced the route.

In a statement to News Corp, the airline’s airport services manager Jody Southern apologised for the “unforeseen” disruptions.

Any passengers affected by Thursday’s cancellations can get further information and updates from Air Vanuatu’s travel advisory page here.