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Special service : Flying to the islands of French Polynesia
 www.airtahiti.com > Special service : Flying to the islands of French Polynesia
Every day Air Tahiti operates an average of 130 flights within an airspace the size of Europe. The 12 planes of the company’s fleet must be able to land on 47 islands and atolls that feature different types of runways, some of them quite difficult to manage. Nevertheless, for some distant islands inhabited by only a hundred people, air transport is a vital link to the outside world. Carrying out this mission is therefore a challenge for the airline that must face many constraints arising from the characteristics of Polynesian air service.
From the Marquesas to the Gambier Archipelago via the Tuamotu atolls, every day Air Tahiti’s planes cover 130 flights all over French Polynesia. Air service to the 47 islands and atolls, scattered over an area as large as Europe, is a unique situation in the world of air transport for an airline of Air Tahiti’s size. Meeting the specific requirements of such service is a daily challenge for Air Tahiti’s 1300 employees. It also is a trial for the staff of Air Tahiti’s Research and Program Service. Located at the company’s headquarters in Faa’a, this 20-strong office is run by Cécile Ambrois, aeronautics engineer and graduate of ENAC (France’s National Civil Aviation School) in Toulouse. Its mission is first and foremost to ensure that the airline’s internal procedures are in keeping with French aeronautics regulations, a strict and precise set of rules whose enforcement is overseen by the Civil Aviation service, a French state administration. The main objective of these regulations is passenger safety.
The service run by Cécile Ambrois is also in charge of studying what is known as “operational” constraints. They arise from regulations and the performance of the company’s 12 planes as well as from the particular environment of French Polynesia. All these operational constraints have direct consequences for Air Tahiti’s passengers. Some of the most important contingencies are the characteristics of the runways used by the airline: mainly, their length and width. Many runways have been built in French Polynesia in the last twenty years or so. The longest is Tahiti Faa’a International Airport, whose 3.3 kms allow it to receive the Airbus and Boeing 747s of international airlines. But on the other end of the spectrum, in the Marquesas, the shortest airstrip is 755m long! Air Tahiti has to operate small twin-engine planes carrying a maximum of 19 passengers such as Twin Otters, the only aircraft that can land on those very short airfields.
© Left : L. Pesquié / Bleu lagon productions -Right : Tahiti Communication
On the island of Maupiti where the strip is short and narrow, rain means limited payload for Air Tahiti’s planes
In French Polynesia’s atolls the airstrips are often short-sized as well. Atolls, or emerged land, are rare and thus precious to the local population. An ATR 42 requires a runway of at least 900 meters. The required length increases to 1100 meters for an ATR 72. Building such runways on thin strips between ocean and lagoon is difficult. The scaled-down dimensions of airstrips on some islands sometimes force the airline to limit the aircraft’s payload and therefore the number of passengers. Cécile Ambrois, from the Research and Program Service, explains: “According to the runway’s characteristics and the aircraft’s capabilities, we calculate the maximum load for take-off and landing. A plane cannot be too heavy or it won’t be able to brake to a stop on the available runway length”.
The landing distance is increased in case of rain, as rain makes the airstrip slippery and lengthens the braking distance. On Maupiti’s short and narrow runway, Air Tahiti limits the payload of its planes when it rains. An ATR 42 will only board 32 passengers for 48 available seats. The airline announces that the plane is full, to the surprise of passengers who discover rows of empty seats! Yet it is impossible to let more people on board as the authorized weight worked out by the Research and Program Service would be exceeded.
Bad weather conditions on the way can also make Air Tahiti limit the payload, in freight as well as in passengers. An aircraft flying into the wind will use more fuel. It will therefore have to take off with more fuel.
"Cutting off a coconut tree at the end of a runway can increase a flight’s payload
by 120 Kg"
And to make matters more complicated, Air Tahiti must deal with obstacles that hinder the approach of planes. Cécile Ambrois sums it up rather well : “On some atolls, chopping off a coconut tree at the end of the runway can give us a 120 kg payload gain on flights !” On the atoll of Fakarava a lighthouse, disused but classified as a historical monument is placed right in line with the runway, to Cécile Ambrois’ regret as planes are hindered in their approach, a situation which imposes limits on passengers and freight allowed on board.
Another constraint that Air Tahiti must factor in is sunset ! Out of 47 runways in regular use, only about ten are lighted. The others simply do not have the precious equipment, which allows any nighttime landing or take-off. Air Tahiti must therefore constantly keep watch on its planes and possible delays to avoid having an aircraft approach a dark runway at night. Keeping the complex flight schedule up-to-the-minute is capital for the company : in case of delay, the plane may simply not leave since it will not make it to destination before sunset !
The level of fire protection available on runways is important. According to the type of aircraft and the frequency of take-offs and landings, the fire protection plan of action must be more or less important. On the most-used runways, for instance Bora Bora, a fire truck is on site at all times. Where rescue equipment and personnel are more limited, the airline sometimes must restrict the number of flights to comply with regulations, which forbid heavy traffic if safety means are deemed insufficient.
Therefore the Air Tahiti network has specificities that the company personnel must deal with daily. Nevertheless, and despite these difficulties, Air Tahiti helps maintain its indispensable links between the islands.
© Left : L. Pesquié - Right: D. R. - Air Tahiti
Text : Tahiti Communication
Translation : Celeste Brash | |
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