Transcript
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: The Prime Minister did not mix his words in his speech to officially launch the brand new, national airline, Samoa Airways. He admitted there were a lot of problems faced by the former Polynesian Airlines but he is calling on all Samoans, not only here in Samoa but around the globe, to come together and give their full support to the new national carrier. He also admitted that Polynesian Airlines joint venture with Ansett Australia many, many years ago was a wrong decision. And then the Virgin joint venture was also a wrong decision. Now the only option the government has is to have our own national carrier, and then he referred to other Pacific islands like Solomons, Fiji, Tahiti and Vanuatu - they have their own national airline.
DON WISEMAN: Prior to those joint venture arrangements though, Polynesian Air did operate independently didn't it?
ATA: yes it did operate independently. Somehow, he said, there were also problems at that time and those people in the management and the government of the time decided to go with Ansett Australia.
DW: What were the problems. And why are they going to be any different this time round?
ATA: Well he didn't say what the problems were but everyone knows they were financial problems faced by Polynesian Airlines at the time and it continued on when Polynesian Airlines [was helped] back onto its own feet. And the government helping out in the operation of the national carrier, and then there were more financial problems at the time and then they decided to have a go with Virgin Australia in another joint venture and the Prime Minister was saying in his speech, that, based on the advice from other people at the time that the best way to run our national carrier was to go for a joint venture. And now after 10 years with the joint venture there are more problems and that's why the government decided to go back to square and have our own national airline.
DW: OK. So one aircraft, a 737-800. It's not a new plane is it? It is a near new plane leased from Icelandair?
ATA: Yes it is. It's leased from Iceland but I asked the chairman and the minister responsible for the airline [Lautafi Fio Purcell] how much the lease is for a month and they did not reveal anything. They said there will be a time when the Prime Minister will announce it and I was thinking in his speech [at Monday's launch] he will give out all those details, the amount of money the government has set down for the kick-off of the operation. But I asked the chairman and the minster on that question but they were also reluctant to reveal it.
DW: As we say just the one aircraft but there are plans to quite quickly expand.
ATA; Yes that is what they told the media last Saturday that it is going to be a expanded. From one aircraft, to three, four aircraft but that is a question of another five or ten years in the future.