New Caledonia home carrier Aircalin (Air Caledonie International) received a brand new Airbus A330 offering a completely reshaped new product.
PARIS – Integrating its newest Airbus A330 in its fleet gave the opportunity for Aircalin to totally revamp its on-board product. Economy seats now offer a better inclination, providing passengers with more individual space to stretch their legs. In business class (Hibiscus Class), Aircalin installed flatbed seats with an inclination reaching 180°. The airline offers also an individual audio-video system “on demand”.
Working on a high tech note, the carrier is the first to the industry to provide a charger for all Apple applications (Iphone/Ipad/Ipod) in its two cabines.
The new Airbus has also been an opportunity to present new uniforms which reflect New Caledonia identity: red earth, marine blue and sand colours incarnate all the natural elements which shape the Island well-known for its magnificent landscapes.
Aircalin’s network is served with Airbus A330-200 et A320-200 and connects Noumea to Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Vanuatu and Wallis-Futuna. From Europe –and especially out of Paris-Aircalin offers connections thanks to a partnership with Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines as well as Finnair.
The airline is confident of recording a good year 2012. According to its management, passengers traffic is up by 28% for the end of the year while revenues soared by 30%. It follows an upward trend for New Caledonia tourism, which has seen arrivals soaring by 38.3% since the beginning of 2012. Year 2013 looks already promising for the carrier which registers 15% more pre-booking from January to March compared to the same period of 2012.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
