Aircalin will suspend Noumea – Tokyo Narita flights from September 1, until at least the end of the 2024 summer schedule, i.e., October 26, 2024, alongside other service reductions due to continuing unrest in New Caledonia.
The airline will continue operating the route once a week until then and, at this point, is selling tickets for three to four weekly flights during the 2024 winter schedule. The last flight scheduled prior to the suspension is on August 26, 2024, while the first one scheduled after the suspension is on October 28, 2024. In the meantime, “Japan remains an available destination via Singapore or Sydney,” the airline said.
New Caledonia has been experiencing unrest since mid-May 2024 when a voting reform, which would expand local election voting rights to those beyond pre-1998 residents and their descendants who have continuously lived in New Caledonia at least 10 years was proposed. Up to this point, the protests and riots led to 10 deaths.
The unrest initially led to the airline canceling all flights from May 14, 2024, onward. It resumed international flying with a roundtrip to Nadi in Fiji on June 5, 2024, and returned to Tokyo Narita on June 7, 2024.
Aircalin is the only airline offering non-stop flights between Tokyo and Noumea.