Growing concerns emerged one year following the crash of the Lulutai SAAB 340 aircraft, which resulted in the plane being no longer operational.
The aircraft slid off the runway at Tonga’s Fua’amotu airport in December 2023 and hit a concrete block.
As Kaniva News reported previously, a preliminary report from the investigation into the crash organised by the Ministry for Infrastructure’s civil aviation department detailed damages, including hydraulic fuel loss and other safety problems.
The report also said there were signs that the aircraft’s record may have been deliberately disabled.
With technical assistance from the Australian Safety Transport Bureau (ATSB), the Chief Investigator is expected to submit a final report at the completion of the investigation.
Insurance concerns
Some members of the public who asked not to be identified told Kaniva News they wanted to know whether the SAAB 340 was insured, and if not, they wanted to know why.
Some said Lulutai was a government-owned asset, and it is responsible for ensuring effective management practices that minimize potential losses that may adversely affect taxpayers.
We have contacted Lulutai chief executive Poasi Tei for comment.
The Opposition mentioned in its recent vote of no confidence motion, which led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, their ongoing concerns about Lulutai’s financial status.
It said there were concerns about mishaps with Lulutai flights and the failure of the government to submit to Parliament a specific statement on these incidents or any plans to prevent air accidents and ensure air safety in the future.
Chatham aircraft leasing
The concerned citizens believed that had Lulutai properly managed the maintenance of the SAAB 340 and insured it, it would not have been necessary to hire Chatham Airlines from New Zealand to provide services during peak seasons.
They believed it costs a lot of money for Lulutai, which one expert previously claimed operated at millions of loss, to hire the Chatham Airlines aircraft.
The latest was last week when Lulutai Airlines said a chartered Chatham ATR 72 aircraft would make 12 scheduled flights a week from Tongatapu to Vava’u and return.
Government funded
The vote of no confidence motion claimed the government had invested $21 million in Lulutai Airlines as its shareholding and an additional $2 million in its current financial budget. Still, it failed to submit any financial statement to the Parliament.
Hu’akavameiliku, in his response to his latest vote of no confidence motion, said that Lulutai Airlines was a government-owned company. He also referred to what his government announced last month, saying it finally approved Lulutai Airlines Limited to become a public enterprise.
He also claimed that budget statements had been submitted to the House.
As Kaniva News reported previously, the Hu’akavameiliku government was accused in the House of hiding behind the Companies Act to allow Cabinet Ministers to continue as members of Lulutai’s Board of Directors, although the law says they can only retrain members within 12 months.
Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku insisted that it was up to the government to consider when it was fit to cease its membership.
The government has fully funded Lulutai Airlines since its inception in 2020.
