After an absence of 6 years flying out to Asau Airport at the western end of Savaii, Samoa Airways is venturing out again next week on the 1st April 2021.
The timing offers a faster option for the back-to-back Easter and Election holiday traffic.
The Easter holiday flight takes off on Thursday 1 April ahead of the weekend work break on Friday 2nd of April 2021 up to Monday 5th April 2021.
Election day break starts two days later on Thursday 8th April 2021 and polling day on 9th April 2021.
Samoa Airways, CEO Seiuli Alvin Tuala says the decision to recommence flights to Asau after a 6-year hiatus is the outcome of many discussions with partners Samoa Tourism Authority, the Savaii Samoa Tourism Association (SSTA) and the Samoa Hotels Association (SHA) who have pushed for services.
“The launch of flight services to Asau is to support the growing demand for more convenient travel options between the Upolu and Savaii.” Seiuli said
“It is also a way to build support for local businesses and establish a route to the western end of Savaii which will ultimately benefit our international visitors once borders re-open.”
Seiuli added “It’s is encouraging to see that the drive to re-open flights to Asau is coming from local tourism operators because it’s not easy to establish a new route which is why it’s crucial we work closely with our partners in the industry and continue to work towards continued growth in the local tourism industry.”
Recently, a test flight to Asau was conducted and CEO for Samoa Tourism says the decision to launch flights to Asau Airport in April is intended to take advantage of the peak season when locals will be travelling for the Easter long weekend and General Elections.
“The demand for travel options will be high especially in April which gives us an opportune time to work together not only to enable more flight routes but find ways to sustain long term flight services to Savaii destinations, ” said Fa’amatuainu.
“Locals will appreciate the convenience of travelling to the far west end of Savaii in less than 20 minutes and this will also help address bottlenecks at the ferry terminal created by travellers heading back to Upolu on Mondays. Re-introducing flight services from Apia to Asau will cut travelling time by several hours, cater for weekend travel and promote longer stays in Savaii.”
In addition to the new route to Asau, flights to Maota have also been scheduled and Samoa Airways have launched their air fare specials in April to cater to locals travelling to Savaii for the Easter long weekend and General Elections.
Fares start from $69.60 to Maota one-way and $89.15 to Asau. For bookings and flight schedule information, contact Samoa Airways on 21261.