Air Tahiti cuts anger Government

French Polynesia: The French Polynesian Government is alarmed at the decision by Air Tahiti to drop 26 loss-making routes.

The domestic airline said it would retain only 20 destinations of its network because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The transport minister Jean-Christophe Bouissou said the drop of service amounted to taking the population of the entire islands hostage.

The Government’s stake in the carrier is 14 per cent.

Mr Bouissou warned a failure to restore the links would force the Government to set up a new airline.