Cook Islands and French Polynesia leaders Mark Brown and Moetai Brotherson have signed an agreement on airlinks. 5 August 2025. Photo: Présidence de la Polynésie
French Polynesia and the Cook Islands have signed an air services agreement (ASA) aimed at providing a framework for future relations between the two neighboring archipelagos.
The agreement was signed between Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and French Polynesia's President Moetai Brotherson on the margins of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Cook Islands' constitution and status of free association vis-à-vis New Zealand.
The document allows both parties to designate carriers to operate regular flights between Papeete and Rarotonga, as well as airlines entering into specific agreements (such as code-sharing).
The ASA was signed in presence of Wellington-based French Ambassador Laurence Beau, who is also accredited to the Cook Islands, as the representative of the French State.
In a new development in terms of international relations, Brotherson signed the agreement with a mandate from the ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, under French Polynesia's autonomy status.
"This is a first because (this signing) relies on Articles 38 and 39 of our Statute (of Autonomy). I had this delegation from the French Minister of Foreign Affairs to sign as President of French Polynesia", Brotherson explained to Radio 1.
Articles 38 and 39 of French Polynesia's autonomy allow its President to negotiate international agreements, provided they respect France's international engagements and that France is kept informed or even invited to the talks.
The agreement is then submitted to both French Polynesia's Territorial Assembly and, on France's side, by the relevant legislative authorities.
Other key leaders attending the signing ceremony were Air Rarotonga CEO Ewan Smith and French Polynesia's Director of Civil Aviation Marangai Moeroa, Brotherson's office said in a statement.
Although French Polynesia and the Cook Islands had already initiated connections at company level earlier this year, the new agreement is wider and more formal as it is a proper international treaty which, Brotherson said, aimed at further integrating French Polynesia into its regional environment while "strengthening regional air connectivity and historical links between our Polynesian peoples".
The old 'Coral Link'
The new agreement also brings new opportunities in terms of regional inter-connectivity and connections, paving the way for what used to be known as the "Coral Link" in the 1950s, which linked Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti.
More recently, a project named FlyCoralWay, spearheaded by Wallisian businessman Louis Alphonse, was launched in 2019 but did not eventuate for lack of investors.
But in February 2025, Air Tahiti Nui (ATN) and Air Rarotonga, entered into a new code-sharing and connectivity agreement to better integrate their respective destinations between Papeete, Rarotonga, the United States and France.
"Connections between flights and check-in processes will also be made easier from Papeete's Tahiti-Faa'a (PPT) and the Cook Islands' Rarotonga (RAR) international airports," ATN CEO Mathieu Bechonnet said at the time.
The Papeete/Rarotonga flights are jointly operated by Air Rarotonga (GZ) and Air Tahiti (VT), at a pace of four return flights per week connecting to ATN flights to and from Papeete.
ATN operates up to seven flights per week between Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Papeete (PPT) via Los Angeles (LAX) and up to eleven flights per week between Los Angeles and Tahiti, as well as two flights per week to Seattle.
On a more political level, Brotherson is this week in Rarotonga to attend the Cook Islands' constitution's 60th anniversary celebrations.
But in Papeete, the flag of the Cook Islands was raised at the President's office to mark its Constitution Day, on 4 August, "as a symbol of respect and shared commemoration".
