Virgin Australia Has Resumed Services To Samoa

Guests on Virgin Australia’s first flight to Samoa in three years were greeted warmly as a proud Samoan crew operated the flight.

Sydney-Apia services commenced last Tuesday, and flights from Brisbane resumed on 23 March — with both routes flying up to two return flights a week on the airline’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The all-Samoan cabin crew and First Officer cordially greeted visitors, who were treated to a traditional song during the flight and a cultural welcome upon landing in Apia.

Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Alistair Hartley said the return was excellent news for passengers throughout the Pacific.

“Samoa has a significant Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) market, so we wanted to mark this occasion with a Samoan team,” he explained.

“It’s an exciting step in the rebuilding of four short-haul international network, and it comes ahead of our return to Vanuatu later this month.”

Samoa is well-known for its rich culture and friendly people. It has been a favourite Virgin Australia network destination since 2005.”

Samoa Tourism Authority CEO Pativaine Petaia-Tevita said: “The return of Virgin Australia flights from Australia to Samoa is wonderful news for the nation, bolstering our efforts to develop and recover Samoa’s visitor economy. ”

With a diverse flight schedule, more and more travellers will have the opportunity to visit us and experience Fa’a-Samoa, our wonderful culture, and our way of life.”

Guests travelling on Samoa services can access the rest of Virgin Australia’s domestic and short-haul international networks via Brisbane and Sydney.

Flights from Brisbane and Sydney will be daytime services as yesterday, 28 March.

With the business relaunch in November 2020, Virgin Australia’s international short-haul network has expanded to include Bali, Queenstown, Nadi, Port Vila, Apia, and Tokyo (Haneda), which will begin in June 2023. Due to new short-haul international services, Virgin Australia’s international capacity will increase by 50% by mid-2024.