Samoa Airways has cancelled eight flights this week as they're finalising arrangements to lease a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (replacement) aircraft.

The cancellation was confirmed in an email from the Airline to their customers.

“We wish to advise that we are finalising arrangements to lease a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (replacement) aircraft to operate our flights between Apia, Auckland, Sydney and Brisbane beyond 31st March,” said the email.

The unfortunate situation follows the expiration of the dry lease the airline has operated since November 2017, which could not be extended.

“With the worldwide grounding of the MAX 8 aircraft type, there is a huge shortage of narrow-body aircraft as airlines scramble to consolidate their schedules using their existing fleets and short-term leases from other operators.

“Safety is of paramount importance and until the clearances have been obtained, we have unfortunately had to cancel some of our flights in the first week of April and re-route our customers on to other airlines to minimize any further disruption to their travel plans.

"We are working closely with civil aviation authorities to secure the required safety and regulatory approvals for the replacement 737-800NG aircraft. We anticipate these will come through towards the end of the first week of April." 

The affected flights include:

Tuesday 2nd April 

OL731 APIA/AUCKLAND

OL732 AUCKLAND / APIA - Cancelled

Wednesday 3rd April

OL843 APIA / BRISBANE - Cancelled

OL844 BRISBANE / APIA - Cancelled

Thursday 4th April

OL731 APIA / AUCKLAND - Cancelled

OL732 AUCKLAND / APIA - Cancelled

OL855 APIA / SYDNEY - Cancelled

OL856 SYDNEY / APIA – Cancelled

For assistance and further information, customers may contact the following numbers:

NEW ZEALAND 0800 359 726 (Working hours) and +64 275 959 702 (After-hours)

AUSTRALIA 1800 359 726 (Working hours) and +64 275 959 702 (After-hours)

SAMOA +685 22172 (Working hours) and +685 777 3716 (After-hours)