Palau says 'Alii' to new airline on Thanksgiving morning

Alii Palau Airlines inaugural flight to Palau was welcomed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, with a water salute on the tarmac and a short ceremony at the Palau International Airport. 

Akanksha Johri, chief financial officer of Alii Palau Airlines, thanked President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., Minister Charles Obichang of Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Industry, and Minister Ngirai Tmetuchl of Ministry of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development, and others for their help. She also announced that starting Dec. 21, the airline will begin twice a week service between Palau and Singapore. 

Whipps said it has been a journey to make Alii Palau's flight a reality. Last year, he met with Singapore's Minister S Iswaran, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Trade Relations, to sign the air service agreement allowing passenger and cargo flights between the two nations. Whipps said the new route also brings Palau closer to Singapore and Bhutan. 

"It is truly a happy Thanksgiving (Day). COVID set us back, tourism at one point coming into Palau was 170,000 visitors. In 2021, it was only 3,000 visitors. This last year, it's been creeping up, we just crossed the 30,000 visitor mark but with the opening of this new flight we can fly higher," Whipps said. He added that prior to the ceremony, Sam Scott, president of Sam's Tours Palau, said bookings for next year are rising. Scott, earlier this year, told the Journal that while the boom in tourism around 2015 made for good numbers, it also wasn't sustainable and actually harmed Palau's tourism economy, which is focused on the environment. 

The president's remarks reflected the desire for eco-conscious visitors over sheer quantity. 

"One of the countries that Palau wants to learn from is Bhutan; how to cater to high-end tourists. We don't want lots of tourists but we want the right tourists who care about the environment, who care about sustainability... we're looking forward to not only expanding the relationship with Singapore but with Bhutan," he said. 

"We all know Singapore is a hub. And hopefully we will open up opportunities for visitors from around the world to come through Singapore to Palau," the president said.

Last month, Alii Palau Airline and Changi Airport Group announced the airline will begin a Singapore-Palau route on Nov. 23 with Drukair, the Royal Bhutan Airlines, according to Journal files. The route will also connect with Bhutan. 

Drukair operates within Southeast Asia and is headquartered at Paro International Airport in Bhutan. Aside from Paro, Drukair serves nine international destinations and three domestic destinations within Bhutan according to its website, also operating charters. It already flies between Paro and Singapore. Its fleet of six planes includes one Airbus 320 neo, three Airbus A319s, one ATR 42-600 and One H-13072.

See Flight Schedule - Alii Palau Airlines (flyaliipalau.pw). Alii Palau’s office is in the Palasia Hotel in Koror, where it also has an airline gift shop. 

Whipps and his administration have been working to make Palau a gateway for flights between Asia and Europe, and the North and South Pacific, files state. 

Palau's tourism numbers showed 30,091 visitors from January to September 2023, surpassing the anticipated 20,000 visitors. The island nation’s leadership is working to push the upward trend further and anticipates an estimated 40,000 visitors by the end of this year, files state. Ongoing efforts include advocating existing airline partners to increase frequency and expand markets while also meeting industry leaders to bring new flights to Palau, according to Palau's Ministry of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development. mbj