Two years on, Santo still waiting for certainty on aviation: ESTA
August 5, 2026 11:43 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
More than two years after Air Vanuatu’s liquidation triggered a crisis in the country’s domestic aviation network, the Espiritu Santo Tourism Association (ESTA) says recovery efforts have yet to translate into reliable connectivity for Santo, despite a growing perception that Vanuatu’s domestic aviation crisis is over.
“From the capital, Vanuatu’s domestic aviation crisis can increasingly appear to be over. Flights are back in the air, aircraft are operating and plans for the future continue to be announced,” ESTA stated.
“Ask the people travelling to and from Santo, and the picture is very different.
“Residents, businesses and visitors continue to experience cancellations, schedule changes and disruptions. As recently as today, travellers in Santo were advised that their flight had been postponed with no confirmed new departure date. Last week, other travellers saw flights moved to different days.
“These are not stories from the immediate aftermath of Air Vanuatu’s liquidation. This is happening more than two years later.”
ESTA noted that domestic air travel in Vanuatu has reportedly fallen 69% over the past decade, according to IATA figures. At Santo Airport, ongoing issues with X-ray equipment have also restricted the uplift of certain categories of air cargo.
For ESTA, the question is no longer whether work is being done. It is whether that work is delivering reliable connectivity.
“Progress has to be measured by whether people and goods can move reliably, not simply by how many initiatives are underway,” said newly elected ESTA Chair Lisa Dinh.
“We have heard plans. We have heard commitments. We know people are working on solutions. But two years of activity have still not translated into reliable connectivity for Santo.”
“The domestic connectivity crisis cannot be considered over simply because planes are back in the air. Reliability is the measure that matters.”
ESTA recognises the complexity of rebuilding Vanuatu’s aviation sector and the work undertaken by Air Vanuatu, Airports Vanuatu and the Government over the past two years. But for businesses, residents and travellers, confidence ultimately comes from what is delivered on the ground.
“After two years, the question is not how many initiatives are underway. When will Santo have connectivity it can rely on?”
Connectivity is bigger than tourism
ESTA stresses that reliable aviation is not simply a tourism concern.
Considerable investment is taking place in Santo. Major improvements to road infrastructure are opening access across the island, including South Santo and Luganville, while development in agriculture and other sectors points towards a larger economic role for Santo.
ESTA welcomes that progress. But investment in roads, agriculture, tourism and private enterprise ultimately depends on the ability to move people and goods reliably.
“Connectivity is a fundamental investment constraint,” Dinh said. “Businesses make decisions based on confidence. They invest, employ people and expand based on what they reasonably believe tomorrow will look like. You cannot ask the private sector to invest with confidence if businesses cannot plan with confidence.”
“If we are serious about Santo’s economic development, reliable connectivity has to be part of that development. Otherwise, we risk investing in opportunity on the ground while restricting our ability to connect that opportunity to the rest of Vanuatu and the world.”
Tourism is everybody’s business
Tourism provides one of the clearest examples of how connectivity flows through Santo’s wider economy.
“Tourism is not a luxury. Tourism is everybody’s business. When visitors come to Santo, their spending reaches far beyond hotels and tour operators. It reaches restaurants, taxis, farmers, fishermen, shops, tradespeople and families.”
Research into Vanuatu’s tourism value chain reinforces that wider impact, finding that 66% of intermediate goods and services purchased by tourism businesses are sourced locally.
“When access is unreliable, the impact doesn’t stop at the airport or at the doors of a hotel. It flows through the economy.”
Advocacy means speaking up
As one of Santo’s longest-standing tourism associations, ESTA’s primary role remains advocacy and support.
“Much of advocacy happens quietly, behind the scenes,” Dinh said. “It means continuously making sure Santo’s needs and concerns are heard when decisions are being made about connectivity, infrastructure, marketing, skills, policy and investment.”
But advocacy also means being prepared to speak publicly when an issue continues to affect the destination.
“This is not about attacking Air Vanuatu, Airports Vanuatu, the Government or the people working hard within those organisations. It is about being honest about what is happening on the ground.”
ESTA also encourages other tourism, transport and business associations across Santo to continue speaking up for their sectors and communities.
“Representation matters. ESTA does not need to be the only voice, but we will continue to make sure Santo has a voice.”
Supporting Santo
ESTA is entirely volunteer-led. Committee members contribute their time while running businesses and fulfilling their own professional responsibilities.
“We owe a genuine thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time and energy to ESTA over the years,” Dinh said. “Building and maintaining a destination takes persistence, and much of that work is never seen publicly.”
That advocacy has also been backed by practical action.
ESTA was instrumental in advocating for the re-establishment of direct Brisbane–Santo services and has continued working with aviation and tourism partners to strengthen international access. Former ESTA Chair Rayman Leung has played a significant role in this work and in building relationships with aviation partners.
Other ESTA initiatives have included hospitality and tour guide training, destination marketing campaigns, collaboration with the Vanuatu Tourism Office on promotional activities, and work with the Department of Tourism on product auditing and industry development.
ESTA has also supported initiatives to improve the visitor experience at Santo Airport, including the local bamboo band welcoming and farewelling travellers.
“Santo has an extraordinary tourism product and enormous potential. Our role is not simply to promote it, but to advocate for the conditions that allow tourism businesses and communities to succeed,” Dinh said.
A new committee, the same responsibility
Following recent elections, Ms Dinh of Hotel Santo has been elected Chair of ESTA. Dinh also serves as Tourism Councillor with the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and represents the private sector on the Vanuatu Tourism Office Board.
Marie-Louise Melteck of Santo Blue Hole has been elected Vice-Chair and is ESTA’s nominee to the VTO Board. She will also serve as Chair of the Sanma Tourism Council.
Former Chair Rayman Leung of The Espiritu remains on the committee, providing continuity and extensive industry experience. Andrea Vatu of Santo Cruise Adventure Tour has been elected Treasurer and Gaëlle Roussell of Matevulu Lodge serves as Secretary.
Other committee members are Sue Ireland of Lope Lope Beach Bungalows, Brad Gray of Aore Island Resort, Paul White of Aore Adventure Sports & Lodge, and Nicole Lo of Venui Vanilla.
The nine-member committee represents accommodation providers, tour operators and tourism attractions across Sanma. Six members are Vanuatu citizens, three were born in Vanuatu, and all are business owners in Sanma.
The new committee will build on the work of those who came before it, with advocacy, connectivity, industry support and strong partnerships at the centre of ESTA’s work.
Two years on, ESTA’s message is simple: aviation recovery must ultimately be judged by what people experience on the ground. Can residents travel reliably? Can visitors confidently book Santo? Can businesses move people and goods?
“Until the answer is consistently yes, the work is not finished,” ESTA stated.
ESTA is one of Santo’s longest-standing tourism industry associations. It advocates for and supports the tourism industry of Espiritu Santo, working with businesses, the Government, communities and industry partners to support the sustainable development of the destination.
