BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
Students anticipating to return from Fiji on the second Nadi-Honiara repatriation flight scheduled for March 30 are advised to start sending in information for travelling.
Solomon Islands (SI) Education Attaché at Suva, Mr Francis Tavava made this reminder recently in an email to all SI student leaders at all Fiji institutions.
It is understood that the remaining Solomon Islands Government (SIG) sponsored students who have graduated from various institutions in Fiji have been waiting for their ‘repatriation flight’ since December 2021 and are looking forward to returning on the second repatriation flight later this month.
Almost 200 SIG sponsored graduated students from 2021 have been waiting for their ‘repatriation flight’ since late last year and the first group being more than a 100 had already returned on the first repatriation flight for Nadi-Honiara early March 9.
It is understood that students who are said to be included in the second repatriation flight are those that will be doing extensions from Solomon Islands as they have only a few units left in their courses to complete their studies.
“There will be another repatriation flight at the end of the month but that is yet to be confirmed by the Oversight Committee. Those students who are travelling must start sending in their information. If you know any ‘wantoks’ who want to travel, please inform them,” said Tavava.
Secretary to Prime Minister (SPM) and Vice Chairman of the National Oversight Committee (NOC) Dr Jimmy Rodgers during early this week’s Covid-19 TalkBack Show said the compromised date that Solomon Airlines can carry out the repatriation is on March 30.
“In terms of repatriation flights, just to confirm that one has already been done arriving on March 9 from Fiji, a second one we are looking at the dates, compromised date that the Solomon Airlines can do it, is on March 30. This means that the plane coming from Brisbane on March 29 will sleep over [at Honiara] and travel on March 30 to Nadi, return to Honiara and back to Brisbane.
“And so that is the tentative date for the second repatriation flight for Fiji,” said Rodgers.
On its ‘International Schedule Update’, Solomon Airlines has also confirmed this week that following Solomon Islands Government approval and subject to Fiji regulatory approval, they will operate a second repatriation flight between Nadi and Honiara on Wednesday, March 30.
“Flight IE672 will depart Honiara at 9 am, arriving in Nadi at 1 pm Fiji local time. This flight is open for public sale. Passengers interested to travel need to meet Non-Travel Partner entry requirements for Fiji.
“Flight IE673 will depart Nadi at 2 pm Fiji time, arriving in Honiara at 4 pm Solomon Islands time. As the flight is a Government managed repatriation charter, interested passengers need to contact the Solomon Islands High Commission in Suva.
“For assistance, contact our representative in Fiji on (+679) 9216488 or our Point Cruz Sales Office via phone (+677) 20152 or email sales@flysolomons.com.sb.”
It is understood that remaining SIG graduated students at Fiji from different institutions are looking forward to returning home on the second repatriation flight as it has been a while waiting to return.
