SYDNEY, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Solomon Islands' national carrier, Solomon Airlines, announced on Monday that it will ramp up domestic operations from October following the return of its Dash-8 aircraft.
The 36-seat Dash-8, Solomon Airlines' largest domestic aircraft, has been offshore for an annual scheduled heavy maintenance check. It will re-join the fleet from Oct. 3 to operate between the capital city of Honiara and some key tourism destinations, such as Munda and Gizo.
"The re-introduction of the Dash-8 will allow us to increase capacity significantly to Munda and Gizo, and to improve the efficiency of our operation," said Solomon Airlines CEO Gus Kraus.
He said that this will also improve access for inbound tourists travelling via the airlines' hubs in Australia's Brisbane and Fiji's Nadi.
"As we rebuild our operations, we will continue to monitor demand and assess our fleet to ensure that we manage costs and meet future demand as is appropriate," he said. ■
