Air Kiribati eyes direct Australia, NZ ops with E2s

Air Kiribati (IK, Tarawa) is eyeing opportunities for direct flights from the Pacific archipelago to Australia and New Zealand thanks to its incoming E190-E2s, General Manager Danial Rochford told Air Transport World.

The I-Kiribati flag carrier has a firm order with Embraer for two E190-E2s with purchase rights for a further two of the type. The first two aircraft will deliver in December 2019 and in 2020, respectively.

Rochford pointed out that the type's increased range deemed it a "perfect choice" for the carrier.

Air Kiribati does not currently operate any jets given its fleet includes two DHC-6-300s, a single Dash 8-100, and three Y12Fs. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Air Kiribati's network is almost exclusively domestic with only a single weekly international flight to Funafuti in Tuvalu.



The distance between Kiribati's main gateway Tarawa and the north-eastern coast of Australia, with airports such as Cairns or Brisbane Int'l, is around 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 kilometres), well within the E190-E2 range.

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Air Kiribati to boost fleet, connectivity with Embraer E-Jets order

The small Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has ordered two Embraer E190-E2s, which will be used to expand the capabilities of flag carrier Air Kiribati.

The deal between Embraer and the Kiribati government also includes purchase rights for another two E190-E2s. The firm orders are scheduled to be delivered in 2019, making Air Kiribati the first in the Asia-Pacific region—excluding China—to receive the type, Embraer said.

Embraer displayed the E190-E2 in the Kiribati capital Tarawa during an Asia-Pacific tour in October. The government was “impressed with what we saw” of the aircraft during this visit, a Kiribati official said.

Air Kiribati operates a turboprop fleet of five aircraft, including two CASA C-212-200s, a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, a DHC-8-106, and a Britten-Norman BN-2A-III-2, according to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s fleet database.

The new Embraer jets will “enhance connectivity within our country and beyond, taking our nation to its next phase of growth,” the Kiribati official said.

Air Kiribati completes its fleet renewal programme

Air Kiribati has completed its fleet renewal plan with the recent acquisition of a second DHC-6 Twin Otter. The twin prop is due on Tarawa in March next year where it will join its sister aircraft which arrived in July of this year. The airline had previously operated a CN-212 and a Harbin Y12 both of which were traded in for the two Twin Otters.
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