An investigation is underway after a Saab aircraft operated by Lulutai Airlines reportedly experienced difficulty while landing in Vavaʻu earlier this week.
The aircraft is understood to be leased or otherwise supplied to Lulutai by Air Chathams.
A reliable source told Kaniva News that the aircraft was allegedly carrying a load that substantially exceeded its permitted weight limit at the time of the incident.
The source further alleged that an airport staff member had authorised the loading of undocumented baggage that should not have been carried aboard the aircraft.
It said the pilot ordered the aircraft’s load to be reweighed after arrival, allegedly revealing a significant weight discrepancy.
Kaniva News has not independently verified the allegations concerning the aircraft’s weight or the undocumented baggage.
Air Chathams chief executive Duane Emeny confirmed that an incident had occurred but declined to provide details while the matter was being investigated.
“There is an active investigation underway. We will not comment until that investigation is complete,” Emeny said in response to questions from Kaniva News.
It remains unclear when the investigation is expected to be completed, which authority is conducting it, or whether any employee has been suspended or otherwise disciplined in connection with the incident.
It is also unclear how many passengers were aboard the aircraft, whether anyone was injured or whether the aircraft sustained any damage.
The incident comes almost three years after a Lulutai Airlines Saab 340B veered off a taxiway and struck a concrete bund at Tonga’s Fuaʻamotu International Airport on December 8, 2023, after aborting a flight to Vavaʻu because of a suspected hydraulic problem.
A preliminary report found that the aircraft, carrying 35 passengers, had no brakes when it struck the concrete block.
Investigators also found no flight data on the recorder, evidence that it had been deliberately disabled, an inaudible cockpit recording and no underwater locator beacon attached to the cockpit recorder.
