SOLOMON AIRLINES forcibly removed several domestic passengers from its flight in Honiara to make way for foreign tourists traveling to Santa Ana, Makira Ulawa province earlier last week. Now the local passengers, dumped and forgotten, would have to wait at least until this week, Monday to return home.
But that’s not all.
The national carrier also denied the four adult passengers – three men and one woman – any assistance to return to the city. Instead, they had to find their way into town as well as for some, where to lodge without any support from the airline.
The passengers were booked on the 3:30 flight to Arona in Ulawa, Makira-Ulawa Province.
“We all checked in for the flight and proceeded to the departure lounge. Our luggage was all loaded on to the plane as we could see from inside the departure lounge. Any minute now, we could be called to board. That was not to be,” one disappointed passenger told Solomon Star.
The passenger said he and the other fellow passengers waited until around 4:30pm when they were told they could not get on the flight.
“It was then that we saw a group of tourists with diving gears. They have apparently just arrived from an overseas flight and were heading to Santa Ana,” one local passenger recalled.
“Just then we saw our luggage being taken off the aircraft. We were later informed we could not get on the flight as it has been diverted to Santa Ana (with the foreign divers),” the man said.
The flight was on a weekly scheduled flight to Arona, Makira/Ulawa Province.
“When we told them that some of us were attending meetings in Honiara, the airline demanded to see the receipt for hotels we were staying in. That’s as far as we had gone – a waste of time – because the airline knows when you have checked passengers in, the responsibility for their welfare becomes the airlines,” the passenger said.
Solomon Star initially spoke to Solomon Airlines operations about the matter.
The man who took the call said he was aware of the situation, confirming Solomon Airlines should have done more to assist the passengers.
Another Solomon Airlines Officer, John Woperis told Solomon Star the airline had to wait for a sick patient – the wait which he said had used up valuable time for the flight.
Mr. Woperis said Solomon Airlines was trying to sort out the problem, adding the next flight using the aircraft that can land at Arona would be on Monday.
There is another flight to Kira Kira at 11:50 this morning but the airlines said the aircraft is a Dash 8, which would not be able to land at Arona.
Solomon Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Sean Te’o simply thanked Solomon Star for reaching out to him about the plight of the local passengers.
He said his team dealing with the disruption is sorting out the matter.
Others said Solomon Airlines seems to send a clear message that it is more concerned about the welfare of overseas visitors than the local people.
“The flight to Arona could have gone but it seems the delay was purposely intended to give time for the divers to clear their customs so they could get on the flight to Santa Ana. It is that clear.”
By Alfred Sasako
