21 Dec 2005

Nauru airline hopes to meet commitments to most travellers after plane repossessed

2:44 pm on 21 December 2005

Air Nauru's chief executive, Geof Bowmaker, says the airline is confident it can provide a service for the majority of the people booked to fly with it over the next month.

The airline's only plane was repossessed on Sunday by the United States EXIM Bank after years of failing to meet debt payments.

The Nauru Government has called on the EXIM Bank to lease the plane back to allow Air Nauru to continue operating while the Bank searches for a buyer for the aircraft.

Meanwhile Mr Bowmaker says a plane chartered from Air Vanuatu flew some Air Nauru routes yesterday.

He says they are hopeful of securing an Air Pacific charter tomorrow (thurs) and are negotiating ongoing charters with both carriers to try and meet the around two and a half thousand bookings they have over the next month.

"As much as possible it is providing the airlinks that we were previously providing, and essentially catering to those booked passengers who we had in our reservation system at the time.."