Vaitea Koehler, Executive Vice President for Commercial, Marketing & Alliances at Air Tahiti Nui, said of the Tokyo/Narita–Papeete route, which currently operates two roundtrips per week, that it is an “important route as a gateway to Asia,” and indicated the airline intends to continue operating it.
Air Tahiti Nui currently operates routes from Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, to five cities: Tokyo/Narita, Los Angeles, Auckland, Seattle, and Paris (via Seattle). Among these, the Seattle service, which operates two roundtrips per week, is scheduled to be suspended as of January 28, 2026.
At a press briefing in Tokyo, Ms. Koehler explained, “We analyzed the entire network and made decisions to bring change.” While nonstop flights to Seattle will be suspended, Papeete and Seattle will continue to be connected via Los Angeles through codeshares with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Meanwhile, regarding the Tokyo/Narita service—the airline’s only Asian route—she made it clear that Asia is an important market and that the route is not included in the network restructuring.
The current Tokyo/Narita schedule is two roundtrips per week, with departures from Tokyo/Narita on Tuesdays and Fridays and departures from Papeete on Mondays and Thursdays. Of total passengers, 28% are Japanese, 15% are from Asia outside Japan, 29% are connecting from Europe or the Middle East, and the remaining 33% are Tahitian. Ms. Koehler analyzed the mix as “a diversified market without bias—a good balance.”
From the summer 2026 schedule onward, operating days will change to departures from Tokyo/Narita on Mondays and Fridays and departures from Tahiti on Thursdays and Sundays. This is to align with local cruise ship operating days—popular with honeymooners, one of the airline’s main target segments. “The decision was based on feedback from travel agencies not only in Japan but also across other Asian markets. We hope to welcome even more honeymooners,” she said.
In addition, the Tokyo/Narita service typically has a roughly two-month suspension period in summer; for 2026, service will be suspended from June 18 through September 4. According to Ms. Koehler, this is to increase the Paris route—which sees stronger summer demand—to daily operation. With additional fleet availability resulting from the Seattle suspension, the plan is to operate year-round without a suspension from 2027 onward.
Ms. Koehler also mentioned plans for a new route to replace the suspended Seattle service. With the Auckland route performing well, the airline is considering Oceania markets such as Australia in the short term. “Depending on market growth and demand, we are also looking at Asia in the longer term,” she said.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
