Air Tahiti is the main inter-islands air carrier of Tahiti and her islands. We cover a network of 47 islands in French Polynesia and one international destination in the Cook Islands, across an area the size of Europe.
Far from the continents, French Polynesia was excluded from air routes for a long time.
The advent of a scheduled commercial air service between the islands came in 1950, when a handful of entrepreneurs founded Air Tahiti, first one of the name, which is unrelated to the current Air Tahiti. To begin with, flights were made in a seven-seater Grumman J-4F Widgeon seaplane. Little by little, this company Air Tahiti spread its wings to cover all of the Polynesian islands.
In July 1953, Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux (TAI), the commercial operator of the state-controlled inter-island air network, Régie Aérienne Interinsulaire (RAI), asserted its entitlement to the allocation of local transport services, under agreements signed with Air France. The territorial government withdrew Air Tahiti's operating licence, in favour of the TAI, and with it, the Air Tahiti emblem disappeared. The RAI purchased two Catalina seaplanes to expand the service linking the islands of French Polynesia.
In 1958, the state-controlled "Régie" became "Réseau" (network) Aérien Interinsulaire, and marks the real beginnings of our airline.
The opening of Tahiti Faa'a International Airport, in 1960, meant that Tahiti could now receive international commercial flights. Meanwhile, across the territory, an extensive runway-construction programme was launched by the French State. Four runways were built in the 1960s, and 27 in the following decade.
AIR POLYNÉSIE
In 1970, the RAI became Air Polynésie, a subsidiary of UTA (Union des Transports Aériens, a French airline).
From the beginning of the 1970s, a huge construction program was launched by the French Polynesian authorities covering the four corners of the territory, to satisfy a growing need for airports. Nicknamed "Air Po" by the Polynesians, the airline put in place scheduled flights throughout French Polynesia, in particular to the islands furthest away from Tahiti.
Its fleet is composed of 6 aircraft: 1 DC 4, 2 Fokkers, a Twin-Otter and two Britten Norman « Islanders ». These latter small twin-engine craft had room for a dozen passengers, and had a reputation for being « bush » planes. They were used primarily on the smallest airstrips and in the most basic conditions.
AIR TAHITI
In 1986, the former UTA, which in the meantime had been taken over by Air France, sold its share in Air Polynésie to local investors. The sale gave rise, in 1987, to the birth of Air Tahiti, in its current form. The new airline was keen to modernize, and in 1987 acquired its first ATR 42, marking the start of a long-term partnership with aircraft manufacturer AT
In October 2017, Air Tahiti and ATR were celebrating 30 years of partnership.
The following year, Air Tahiti was celebrating her 60th birthday.
