Australians have been left stranded in Tuvalu after Fiji Airways cancelled all flights to and from the tiny Pacific Island national indefinitely due to damage to the airport’s runway.
Key points:
- All international flights in and out of Tuvalu have been suspended
- Repairs to the runway at Tuvalu’s only international airport are under way
- Tuvalu was hit by a heavy downpour earlier in the week that may have caused the damage
The airline is the only international carrier that services Tuvalu.
“Fiji Airways wishes to advise that all flights scheduled to operate between Suva or Nadi and Funafuti in Tuvalu have been suspended until further notice,” the airline said in a statement.
“The airline has had to take this step in light of runway damage at Funafuti International Airport.”
The statement added: “We will continue to monitor the situation and are seeking information from the Tuvalu authorities on the effectiveness of the repairs currently underway.”
Craig Bradbrook, from Adelaide, said his flight out on Thursday had been cancelled and then another was cancelled on Saturday.
It is unclear how many Australians are stranded but with two flights cancelled so far there could be more than 140 travellers waiting to leave, he said.
He said he had been told extremely heavy rain had caused the damage to the airport runway.
“Heaviest ever, according to the locals, who said they had never experienced that amount of rain,” he said.
Mr Bradbrook had been in Tuvalu for two weeks on his own for work.
He said there were concerns among travellers they might not be home before Christmas.
“For me, I had surgery booked on Tuesday, and unless I leave tomorrow I’ll not be in Australia for that surgery,” he said.
Meanwhile, some travellers were running out of cash.
Tuvalu is a cash-based economy that uses Australian dollars but has no ATMs or facilities to use credit or debit cards.
Travellers are expected to bring enough cash for their entire stay.
“I’ve spoken with a number of other people here for either work or on holidays, and some people have no money left,” Mr Bradbrook said.
“This is an entirely cash-based economy that uses Australian dollars and there is no way to withdraw money.
“You can, if you’re lucky, have money wired to you.”
He had sent four emails to Fiji Airways but received no response, he said.
He said it would be helpful if the Australian government could lobby the airline to be more transparent about the situation.
“We love the people in Tuvalu, they are kind and very understanding,” he said.
“Let’s hope we can get Fiji Airways providing some clarity to stranded passengers sooner rather than later.”
In a Facebook post, the Australia High Commission Tuvalu said it was aware of the situation.
“The Australian High Commission will continue to monitor the situation and will provide any updates via the official Facebook page when they come to hand,” the post said.
A statement from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said: “We stand ready to provide consular assistance to Australian citizens, should they request it.”
The ABC has contacted the Tuvalu government for comment.
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