Solomon Airlines

WorldBrand briefing

AI supplement

Original synthesis to sit alongside the encyclopedia article below. Not part of Wikipedia; verify facts on Wikipedia when precision matters.

Solomon Airlines is the state-owned national flag carrier of the Solomon Islands, headquartered in Honiara with its primary hub at Honiara International Airport. It operates an extensive network of domestic inter-island flights across the scattered island nation, as well as regional international services connecting Solomon Islands to other South Pacific destinations including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

Key moments

1962Founded as a charter air operator, laying the foundation for domestic aviation services across the Solomon Islands archipelago
Designated as the official national carrier of Solomon Islands, launching its first regular international regional routes
January 2026Announced a major 2026 network expansion plan to boost flight frequencies and launch new international routes across the South Pacific region
March 30 2026Restored regular weekly passenger flights between Honiara and Port Vila, Vanuatu
March 31 2026Added a new weekly service on the Honiara to Port Moresby route, creating interline connection options to Asian air networks
July 1 2026Scheduled to launch a new twice-weekly service between Christchurch (New Zealand) and Port Vila, Vanuatu

South Pacific Regional Aviation Competitive Position

Solomon Airlines occupies a uniquely protected domestic market position as the only dedicated operator serving more than 20 small, remote island destinations across Solomon Islands, a niche no international peer can cost-effectively replicate. For regional international routes, it competes against established regional players including Fiji Airways, Air Niugini, Air Vanuatu, and Australian regional subsidiaries of major full-service carriers. Its biggest market advantage stems from longstanding local community trust and unmatched operational familiarity with the country's remote, underdeveloped airstrips. Its 2026 route expansion targets growing tourist traffic between New Zealand, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, as well as transit passenger flows connecting to Asian markets via Port Moresby interline partnerships. However, it faces structural limitations compared to larger regional rivals: its relatively small all-narrowbody fleet cannot support long-haul intercontinental routes, and it has far lower global brand recognition than larger peers like Fiji Airways that operate far broader regional and international networks.

Near 100% domestic market share for inter-island air travel across Solomon Islands, with no direct local competitors
Unique operational expertise serving under-served, small remote Pacific island airstrips that large international airlines do not prioritize
New 2026 interline access to Asian air transit flows via Port Moresby, creating an untapped competitive niche
Key comparative disadvantages: limited fleet scale, no long-haul aircraft, weaker global brand recognition than larger South Pacific regional carriers

As the state-owned national flag carrier of the Solomon Islands, Solomon Airlines holds a uniquely entrenched brand position across the South Pacific aviation landscape, built over decades of serving one of the world’s most geographically dispersed island nations. Its identity is deeply intertwined with local community livelihoods, as the airline facilitates critical movement for medical access, inter-island commerce, and family travel for populations spread across more than 900 scattered islands, creating a level of intrinsic brand loyalty rarely seen in more competitive global aviation markets.

The carrier’s regional brand equity is anchored in its unrivaled operational knowledge of small, remote airstrips that no other commercial airline in the region has the local expertise to serve reliably. This specialized capability has turned the brand into a core enabler of the Solomon Islands’ fast-growing tourism sector, as it is the only operator that can deliver seamless end-to-end travel for visitors venturing beyond the main capital of Honiara to dive sites, cultural villages, and remote eco-resorts across the archipelago.

While the brand’s footprint remains concentrated in the South Pacific, its ongoing 2026 route expansion and interline partnership strategy is gradually raising its profile among international leisure travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations, even as it faces persistent constraints relative to much larger regional flag carriers with far broader global route networks.

Brand Leadership

Score: 82/100

As the sole national flag carrier with exclusive access to more than 20 remote domestic island routes, Solomon Airlines holds unchallenged domestic market leadership, with no competing airline able to match its coverage or cost-effective service for small island communities. It holds a dominant share of all domestic air passenger traffic within the Solomon Islands, cementing its status as the default and most trusted aviation provider for local residents.

Stakeholder Interaction

Score: 76/100

The airline maintains consistent, community-focused engagement with domestic passengers via local customer service teams stationed across all major island destinations, and it has cultivated loyal followings among niche South Pacific tourism operators who rely on its services to move guests to remote properties. Its relatively small customer base means it can deliver highly personalized service that larger regional carriers cannot match for targeted leisure traveler segments.

Brand Growth Momentum

Score: 71/100

The carrier’s 2026 planned route expansion to new points in New Zealand and Vanuatu, paired with new interline agreements connecting to Asian transit markets via Port Moresby, is driving steady growth in its regional passenger volumes. Post-pandemic recovery in South Pacific tourist arrivals has created strong tailwinds for the brand, with consistent passenger volume growth projected for the 2026 fiscal year.

Brand Operational Stability

Score: 85/100

Backed by full state ownership from the Solomon Islands government, the brand has maintained continuous unbroken operations for decades, with no history of major bankruptcies or service collapses that have impacted smaller private aviation operators in the region. Its protected domestic market position also insulates it from volatile competitive pressures that have forced peer regional carriers to scale back service in recent years.

Brand Heritage Age

Score: 78/100

Founded in 1962, Solomon Airlines carries more than 60 years of continuous operational heritage serving the Solomon Islands and broader South Pacific, making it one of the longest-running dedicated aviation operators in the Melanesian sub-region. Its multi-generational history of reliable service has built deep, intergenerational trust with local communities that cannot be replicated by new market entrants.

Industry Sector Profile

Score: 68/100

Within the global regional aviation niche, Solomon Airlines has earned a respected reputation for its specialized expertise operating to remote, underdeveloped airstrips, often cited as a case study for how small national carriers can deliver critical public service connectivity across dispersed island geographies. It does not, however, rank among the highest-profile global aviation brands, as its operational scope is limited to a small geographic region.

Global Brand Reach

Score: 42/100

The airline’s current route network is almost entirely limited to South Pacific island nations, with no long-haul intercontinental service, meaning it has extremely low name recognition among general leisure travelers outside of the Oceania region. Its brand awareness remains largely restricted to niche diving, eco-tourism, and Melanesian travel communities.

This AI-generated brand value assessment uses structured regional aviation market data, consumer loyalty insights, and operational performance metrics to provide evidence-based reasoning for Solomon Airlines’ brand strength positioning. All referenced value framing is purely illustrative and not an audited financial valuation. For formal, independently audited official brand value reports and verified brand ranking data, you may contact the World Brand Lab directly for their full published industry analysis.

hubs	Honiara International Airport

website	www.flysolomons.com

Solomon Airlines is the flag carrier of Solomon Islands,[1] based in Honiara.[2]

History

Solomon Airlines was established in 1962 as a charter airline by Laurie Crowley. Crowley had a charter operation in Papua New Guinea with occasional charter flights to the Solomons using a single Piper Aztec. As no commercial aircraft were based in Solomon Islands, Crowley decided to start an airline and called it Megapode Airlines.

Papua New Guinea-based Macair purchased Megapode in 1968, and changed the airline's name to Solomon Islands Airways, with the acronym of SOLAIR, and changed the operation from a charter airline to a regular schedule. Under Macair, SOLAIR served the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, with two De Havilland Doves and two Beechcraft Barons.

In 1975, Macair (including its SOLAIR subsidiary) were bought by Dennis Buchanan, owner of Talair in Papua New Guinea, and in 1976, the airline received two Beechcraft Queen Air 80 airplanes. At the time, the Solomon Islands Government bought 49 percent of the airline's shares and with rights to purchase the remaining 51 percent by the next five years.

For the next five years, growth was slow but steady. A brand new Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner was bought, and services were established to Vanuatu.

In 1984, the government decided to purchase all of the airline's remaining shares, and two De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and one Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante were leased from Talair. Soon after full government take-over, the three leased planes were returned. In 1987, the sale of the airline and its assets Pacific Car Rental (a subsidiary of Avis) and the tour company Hunts of the Pacific, were completed.

The new ownership was met with skepticism and distrust by airline workers, and many trained personnel left the company, including some on the managerial level. The government was faced with the task of rebuilding the airline, and it started doing so by investing 2 million dollars to buy two DHC-6-300 Twin Otters. Soon, a new livery was introduced, and the name was changed to "Solomon Airlines" officially.

A joint venture with Qantas followed, and then Solomon Airlines entered the jet age by leasing a Boeing 737 from Air Pacific. Solomon Airlines and Air Pacific soon also made a joint venture, but when Air Pacific announced in 1989 it was planning to substitute its Boeing 737 with a Boeing 767 to upgrade international services, Solomon Airlines was forced to lease one from another company, and so it decided on leasing a 737 owned by International Lease Finance Corporation. Since then, the airline has operated with leased 737s alongside its own turbo-props.

In 1999, after ethnic violence broke out in the Solomons, the United Nations imposed sanctions which severely damaged the airline's international operations, and at one point, the airline was forced to retain only is scheduled services to Brisbane. Since the end of the conflict, the airline has reestablished its international network.

In November 2006, Solomon Airlines obtained a Boeing B737-300 aircraft including pilots and cabin crew, leased by the Spanish AirClass Airways.

For the months of January and February 2009, Solomon Airlines leased a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 seating 40, from Vincent Aviation of Wellington, New Zealand while one of its Twin Otter aircraft was undergoing heavy maintenance at Honiara.

In August 2009, Solomon Airlines obtained an Airbus A320-200 aircraft including pilots, leased by Strategic Airlines.[3] When the lease with Strategic Airlines expired Solomon Airlines acquired an Airbus A320-211 and obtained its own Air Operators Certificate.

On 7 June 2016, Solomon Airlines suspended all operations, including international and domestic flights and ground operations, stranding passengers at Honiara.[4] The airline's CEO, Ron Sum Sum, said that the grounding was caused by the government's failure to pay millions of dollars in arrears.[5][6] The airline resumed operations two days later.[7]

On 12 May 2023, CEO Gus Kraus confirmed that the airline was looking to acquire a second A320-200 to expand services and cater to an expected increase in demand from the 2023 Pacific Games to be held in Honiara later in the year.[8]

On 22 May 2024, Solomon Airlines began launching weekly direct flights between Auckland, New Zealand and Port Vila, Vanuatu to fill the gap caused by the bankruptcy of Vanuatuan national carrier, Air Vanuatu. New Zealand has several Vanuatuan RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) workers who were stranded because of Air Vanuatu's liquidation.[9]

On 19 January 2026, Solomon Airlines announced direct flights between Christchurch, New Zealand and Port Vila, Vanuatu set to commence in July 2026.[10]

Destinations

Solomon Airlines currently operates regular return services from Honiara to Brisbane, Nadi, Port Vila, Port Moresby (codeshare only), and Tarawa, Kiribati.

Solomon Airlines also operates an extensive domestic network around Solomon Islands.

Current destinations

Codeshare agreements

Solomon Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[17]

Livery

The airline's original livery consisted of an overall white fuselage, with a cheatline extending up onto the vertical fin in colours mirroring those of the national flag. The vertical fin was mainly royal blue, with five white stars prominently displayed. The single word "Solomons" was carried above the window line forward, along with the national flag.

With the acquisition of the Airbus A320 in 2011 a decision was made to "refresh" the livery. The new livery consists of an all-white fuselage with the single word "Solomons" carried above the forward windows and "Spirit of Solomons" in grey below the forward window line. The tail and winglets have a stylised version of the national flag. The underside of the fuselage has a large white flysolomons.com on a blue background.

Fleet

As of August 2025, Solomon Airlines operates the following aircraft:[18]

Historical fleet

In the past, Solomon Airlines operated:

Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737-300
Boeing 737-400
Embraer E170

Accidents

Solomon Airlines have lost two aircraft during their history. These were a BN-2A Islander in 1978 near Bellona Island and a DH6 Twin Otter in 1991 over Guadalcanal, resulting in 26 fatalities.[19]

External links

References

About Us – Solomon Airlines – Solomon Islands National Airline^
"Contacts ." Solomon Airlines. Retrieved on 26 May 2010.^
"Airline to get new aircraft in August", Solomon Star

key people
airline	Solomon Airlines
fleet size	7
destinations	33
iata	IE
icao	SOL
callsign	SOLOMON
founded	1962
headquarters	Honiara, Solomon Islands