11 Jun 2004

Air Nauru aims to attract Australians to Marshall Islands

2:35 pm on 11 June 2004

Air Nauru is aiming to lure Australian tourists to the Marshall Islands as part of its new air service.

The flights will link Brisbane with four central Pacific islands and Fiji from next month.

Air Nauru's general manager, John Goulding, says most Australians aren't aware of the Marshalls.

Mr Goulding is wrapping up a four-day visit to the Marshall Islands this week in preparation for launching the new air service.

Weekly flights will connecting Brisbane with Honiara in the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Majuro in the Marshall Islands, Tarawa, Kiribati and Nadi, Fiji.

To entice travellers, Air Nauru is offering low introductory air fares of 4-hundred and 95 US dollars round trip Majuro until September the third.

Jerry Kramer, whose marketing the airline, says it's a turning point for tourism in the Marshall Islands.

Mr Kramer says the equator is like a brick wall for travel in the Pacific.

He says before the advent of the airline, if you wanted to travel north to south, you'd have to fly east or west first.

Mr Goulding says the the airline, although government-owned, is independently operated.