Air Kiribati (pronounced Air Kiri'bas) is the

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hi ...

of the Republic of

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

and operates scheduled passenger services to 20 atolls spread over an area of 3.5m sq km. It is headquartered at

Bonriki International Airport Bonriki International Airport is an international airport in Kiribati, serving as the main gateway to the country. It is located in its capital, South Tarawa, which is a group of islets in the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, precisely on ...

on the island of

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Gilbert Islands. The airline operates an international service from Tarawa to

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...

. Regional charter flights, medical evacuation, and search and rescue services are also undertaken by the airline.

History

Air Kiribati was first established as Air Tungaru in 1977. The airline served all 16 domestic airports in Kiribati as well as

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

and Papeete with a

Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

. In 1996 Air Tungaru ceased operations and Air Kiribati was established to mainly service domestic points in Kiribati with a slew of smaller regional airliners. In 2002 the airlines first ATR 72–500 enters service, but is retired in 2004. In 2016, Air Kiribati commenced also domestic operations in the Line Islands, servicing from

Kiritimati Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonolog ...

both

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Fanning islands. In 2017 Air Kiribati's first De Havilland Canada Dash 8-106 is delivered and in 2019 the first of two

Embraer E190-E2 The Embraer E-Jet E2 family are medium- range jet airliners developed by Embraer, succeeding the original E-Jet. The program was launched at the Paris Air Show in 2013. The first variant, the E190-E2, took its first flight on 23 May 2016 and wa ...

s delivered to Air Kiribati.

Corporate affairs

Board

Air Kiribati is governed by a board which directly reports to

Tekeeua Tarati Tekeeua Tarati (born 12 April 1971 in Tamana) is an I-Kiribati politician and entrepreneur, Minister for Information, Communications, Transport and Tourism development since July 2020. Managing Director of Triple Tee Enterprises (TTT), betwe ...

, the Minister for Information, Communication, Transport and Tourism Development (MICTTD). Air Kiribati is 100% owned by the Government of Kiribati.

CEO

On 31 July Kobebe Taitai was appointed as acting CEO. In February 2020 Captain Philip Statham became CEO after Tarataake Teannaki moved to become Secretary for Information, Communications, Transport and Tourism Development. Air Kiribati is looking for a new CEO, after position vacant, since August 2021. The position is now only open to Kiribati nationals.

Regulatory oversight

The Civil Aviation Authority of Kiribati known as a Civil Aviation Division is one of the Governmental divisions under the Ministry of Information, Communications, Transport and Tourism Development (MICTTD) and is responsible for all Aviation activities in the country.The primary aviation legislation used are: # Aircraft Security Act 1990 # Civil Aviation Act 2004 The actual regulations used are primarily from New Zealand, the NZCARs.

Destinations

As of 2022, Air Kiribati serves these destinations:

Abaiang Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the G ...

Abaiang Airport Abaiang Airport is the airport serving Abaiang, Kiribati. It is located on Abaiang Island, between the villages of Tabwiroa (north) and Tuarabu (south). The airport is served by Air Kiribati from South Tarawa and Marakei on Wednesdays, Frid ...

Abemama Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part o ...

Abemama Airport Abemama Airport is the airport serving Abemama, Kiribati. It is located on the north of the atoll, 200 meters northeast of the village of Tabiang. The airport is served by Air Kiribati from the international airport at South Tarawa. History ...

Aranuka Aranuka is an atoll of Kiribati, located just north of the equator, in the Gilbert Islands. It has an area of and a population of 1,057 in 2010. By local tradition, Aranuka is the central island of the Gilbert group. Geography Aranuka is an ...

Aranuka Airport Aranuka Airport is an airport, located approximately one kilometre north of the centre of Buariki village on the island of Buariki, Aranuka, Kiribati. The airport is served twice a week by Air Kiribati from Kuria Airport on Kuria. From there ...

Arorae Arorae (spelling variants: Arorai, Arurai; also known as Hope Island or Hurd Island“Captain Patterson, commanding the brig ''Elizabeth'', called it Hope Island: “Hope Island, in 2° 43′ S and 176° 56′ 25″ E, was the first discovery, t ...

Arorae Airport Arorae Airport is the airport serving Arorae, Kiribati. It is located in the north of the island, north of the village of Tamaroa. The airport is served by Air Kiribati from Tabiteuea North Airport, which is connected directly with the interna ...

Beru Island Beru is an atoll in the Southern Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Republic of Kiribati. Beru was previously known as Eliza, Francis Island, Maria, Peroat, Peru Island or Sunday. It's part of a larger reef with the Nuka Lagoon at ...

- Beru Airport *

Butaritari Butaritari is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. The atoll is roughly four-sided. The south and southeast portion of the atoll comprises a nearly continuous islet. The atoll reef is continuous but almost without islets al ...

Butaritari Airport Butaritari Airport is an airport on Butaritari in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. History Butaritari Atoll Airport was built in Kiribati during World War II by the United States after seizing the island from the Japanese. Constructi ...

* Kuria - Kuria Airport * Maiana - Maiana Airport * Makin-

Makin Airport Makin Airport is the airport serving Makin. The airport is served twice a week by Air Kiribati from Bonriki, on Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,

* Marakei -

Marakei Airport Marakei Airport is the airport serving Marakei, Kiribati. It is located on the northern tip of the atoll, near the village of Rawannawi. The airport is served by Air Kiribati from Abaiang Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the pa ...

Nikunau Nikunau is a low coral atoll in the Gilbert Islands that forms a council district of the Republic of Kiribati. It consists of two parts, with the larger in the northwest, joined by an isthmus about wide. There are several landlocked hypersaline ...

- Nikunau Airport *

Nonouti Nonouti is an atoll and district of Kiribati. The atoll is located in the Southern Gilbert Islands, 38 km north of Tabiteuea, and 250 km south of Tarawa. The atoll is the third largest in the Gilbert Islands and is the island where ...

- Nonouti Airport *

Tabiteuea North North Tabiteuea is a local council in Tabiteuea, Kiribati. North Tabiteuea (in Gilbertese, ''Tabiteuea Meang'') has a land area of and a population of 4,120 , distributed among twelve villages (capital Utiroa). On 1 July 1799, Charles Bisho ...

Tabiteuea North Airport Tabiteuea North Airport is the airport serving the northern part of Tabiteuea. The airport is served twice a week by Air Kiribati from Bonriki, on Tarawa. It is the hub that serves the southern Gilbert Islands, like Onotoa Airport, Tamana ...

* Tabiteuea South - Tabiteuea South Airport * Tamana -

Tamana Airport Tamana Airport is the airport serving Tamana, Kiribati. The airport is served by Air Kiribati from Tabiteuea North, which is connected directly with the international airport at South Tarawa, but lands at Tamana too on its way from Arorae ba ...

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

- Hub *

- Cassidy International Airport *

Tabuaeran Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island, is an atoll that is part of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean and part of Kiribati. The land area is , and the population in 2015 was 2,315. The maximum elevation is about 3 m (10 f ...

Tabuaeran Airport Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island, is an atoll that is part of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean and part of Kiribati. The land area is , and the population in 2015 was 2,315. The maximum elevation is about 3 m (10 f ...

Teraina Teraina (written also Teeraina, also known as Washington Island – these two names are constitutional) is a coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean and part of the Northern Line Islands which belong to Kiribati. Obsolete names of Teraina a ...

- Teraina Airfield

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of lan ...

Funafuti International Airport Funafuti International Airport is an airport in Funafuti, in the capital city of the island nation of Tuvalu. It is the sole international airport in Tuvalu. Fiji Airways (trading as Fiji Link) operates between Suva and Funafuti. Air Kiribati pr ...

Fleet

As of July 2022, Air Kiribati consists of following aircraft: Avion de Air Kiribati

Fleet development

Embraer E190-E2

In December 2019, the first Embraer E190-E2, in Air Kiribati livery, was delivered to the airline. The E190-E2 has been certified and registered to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) since the beginning of 2020. The Embraer E190-E2 has a maximum range of 5,278 km (2,850 nm). It retains cockpit commonality with its predecessor - E190. E190 pilots will only require a 2.5 days transition training with no flight simulator time needed to be able to fly the E190-E2. Air Kiribati acting CEO Danial Rochford previously pointed out that "the type's increased range deemed it a "perfect choice" for the carrier." Acting CEO Danial Rochford says that the E190-E2 will offer “opportunities to fly from Australia and New Zealand direct to Kiribati”. The E190-E2 is able to operate every required route in the Air Kiribati network when it receives ETOPS 120 minutes certification and also allow the airline to operate longer-haul domestic and international routes including connections that had so far been beyond the reach of its current fleet of turboprops. The Kiribati Transport Minister stated: "non-stop operations between the capital Tarawa and Kiritmati (Christmas) island 'sic''currently requires an international stop in Fiji. With a range of 2,850 nautical miles, the E190-E2 can operate throughout the country with non-stop routes."

Domestic Twin Otter

In December 2007, the Kiribati Government approved a request by Air Kiribati to purchase two

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

made

Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restart ...

aircraft. Each plane is reported to cost US$3.3 million, but Air Kiribati's previous CEO Baraniko Baaro reports the purchase is a wise move which will save money currently used for the frequent repairs the aging air fleet requires. In addition, the new planes boast higher fuel efficiency, have room for more passengers and cargo and require less runway length than the current fleet, which may be of benefit on the airstrips of Kiribati's outer islands.

Regional Dash 8

Air Kiribati has received its first new Dash 8 100 series aircraft, which touched down at Bonriki International Airport from Canada on 31 October 2017. It is operating a once-a-week service between Tarawa and

from 21 March 2018. Tarataake Teannaki (a previous CEO) said "The Dash 8 is expected to fly to Tabiteuea North, pick up passengers from the Southern Gilbert Islands who will be flown to Tabiteuea North via Air Kiribati’s smaller aircraft stationed on the island to pick passengers from the Southern Gilberts and vice versa.

References

External links

Official website
{{in lang, en Airlines of Kiribati Airlines established in 1995 Government-owned airlines 1995 establishments in Oceania