It will again be a little easier to get to New Caledonia. The suspension of international flights, in place since April 1, 2020 due to the health crisis, has been lifted there but traffic will remain restricted given the closure of the borders of several neighboring countries, announced the government of the French archipelago. .
“The Covid-19 virus is now circulating (in New Caledonia) and the vaccination rate makes it possible to envisage links with countries implementing a similar vaccination strategy (to ours)”, declared Yannick Slamet, spokesperson. word of the executive.
A decision a month in advance
Initially the borders of Caillou were to remain closed until December 31, 2021, but the lifting of the measure was brought forward by one month to December 1 because New Caledonia, long remained free of Covid-19, has been since early September in epidemic situation. However, access to the territory is reserved for passengers with a complete vaccination schedule. They must also on their arrival isolate themselves for 7 days at home or in a hotel, then undergo screening. An antigen test or PCR of less than 72 hours is also requested at the start.
Service to the archipelago will nevertheless remain restricted and only operated by the local company, Air Calédonie Internationale (ACI). During the suspension, it operated at the request of the Caledonian government. ACI announced that until March 26, it will offer 4 weekly rotations Nouméa-Tokyo and three to six weekly rotations in the opposite direction. Japan, which has just closed its borders because of the Omicron variant, is a stopover on the road to Paris, passengers are only there in transit. A Nouméa-Papeete rotation will also be ensured.
On the other hand, Australia’s borders “remaining closed to people without an Australian passport”, only one of the two flights to Sydney will be open for sale and the second will be reserved for cargo and medical evacuations, said ACI. Likewise, passenger flights to Brisbane (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), Suva (Fiji) and Port-Vila (Vanuatu) remain canceled until March 26, except “changes in the conditions of access to these destinations” .