Air Tahiti Nui facts for kids
Air Tahiti Nui Boeing 787-9
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| Founded | 31 October 1996 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 20 November 1998 |
| Hubs | Faa'a International Airport |
| Frequent-flyer program | Club Tiare |
| Fleet size | 4 |
| Destinations | 6 |
| Parent company | Government of French Polynesia |
| Headquarters | Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| Key people | Michel Monvoisin (CEO) |
| Operating income |  F 39.2 billion (2024) |
| Profit | F 438 million (2024) |
| Total assets |  F 39.4 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | F 3.7 billion (2024) |
| Employees | 708 |
Air Tahiti Nui is an airline from French Polynesia, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean that are part of France. It's like their main airline! Its main office is in Faʻaʻā, Tahiti. Air Tahiti Nui flies long distances using four Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes.
History of Air Tahiti Nui
Air Tahiti Nui started on October 31, 1996. Its first flights took off on November 20, 1998. This airline was the first one from French Polynesia to fly long international routes. It was created to help more tourists visit the beautiful islands.
How the Airline Grew
The government of French Polynesia owns most of Air Tahiti Nui, about 84.4%. Other local investors also own a part of the airline. Around 2007, Air Tahiti Nui had about 782 employees working for it.
For a few years, the airline lost money. In 2011, it faced some financial trouble. But after four years, the company started making money again in 2015. This showed that the airline was getting stronger.
New Airplanes for the Fleet
In May 2015, Air Tahiti Nui decided to get all new airplanes. At that time, they had five Airbus A340-300 planes. They planned to replace them with four new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. These new planes arrived in 2018 and 2019. The last Airbus A340 flight for Air Tahiti Nui was in September 2019.
New Look and Longest Flight
In April 2018, Air Tahiti Nui changed its logo and how its name looked. This was before their new Boeing 787-9 planes arrived. The new logo was designed with a Polynesian artist. It shows a tiare flower, which is the airline's symbol. Inside the flower, you can see the shape of a vahine (a woman in Tahitian). This reminds people of Tahiti's beautiful women and flowers.
In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Tahiti Nui flew a very special flight. One of its Boeing 787-9 planes flew nonstop from Faa'a International Airport in Papeete to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. This flight skipped the usual stop in Los Angeles because of travel rules. It flew about 15,715 kilometers (9,765 miles) in 15 hours and 45 minutes. This was the world's longest domestic flight at that time! Later, another airline, French Bee, flew an even longer flight from Papeete to Paris.
Where Air Tahiti Nui Flies
Destinations Overview
As of January 2025, Air Tahiti Nui flies to these places:
| Country or territory | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sydney | Sydney Airport | Terminated | |
| France | Paris | Charles de Gaulle Airport | ||
| French Polynesia | Papeete | Faa'a International Airport | Hub | |
| Japan | Osaka | Kansai International Airport | Terminated | |
| Tokyo | Narita International Airport | |||
| New Zealand | Auckland | Auckland Airport | ||
| United States | Los Angeles | Los Angeles International Airport | ||
| New York City | John F. Kennedy International Airport | Terminated | ||
| Seattle | Seattle–Tacoma International Airport |
Air Tahiti Nui works with other airlines so passengers can easily connect to more places. This is called a codeshare agreement. Here are some of their partners:
The airline also partners with the French national railway, SNCF. They also have agreements with:
Air Tahiti Nui's Airplanes
Current Airplanes in Use
As of July 2024, Air Tahiti Nui uses only Boeing 787-9 airplanes. They have four of these planes.
| Airplane Type | Number in Service | On Order | Number of Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Class | Premium Economy | Economy Class | Total | ||||
| Boeing 787-9 | 4 | — | 30 | 32 | 232 | 294 | |
| Total | 4 | — | |||||
Airplanes Used in the Past
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Air Tahiti Nui used to fly these types of airplanes:
| Airplane Type | Total | Started Using | Stopped Using | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-200 | 1 | 1998 | 2003 | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 5 | 2001 | 2019 |
How the Airplanes Look (Livery)
The paint design on Air Tahiti Nui's planes has always used different shades of blue. These colors represent the ocean, lagoons, and sky of Tahiti. The top part of the plane is blue, and the bottom part and engines are white.
The flag of French Polynesia is near the front of the plane. The plane's name is written below the flag. Red and white stripes, like those on the flag, also run along the bottom part of the blue section. The airline's logo, a tiare flower, is on the tail of the plane. Blue circles spread out from the flower, looking like ripples in water.
When the new Boeing 787-9 planes arrived in October 2018, the design changed a bit. The new design includes patterns inspired by traditional Tahitian tattoos. The blue color became a darker shade. The airline's name on the front of the plane also got a new look. However, the tiare flower logo on the tail stayed mostly the same.
Air Tahiti Nui names its airplanes after different islands and atolls in French Polynesia. For example, some planes are named Bora Bora, Fakarava, Moorea, and Rangiroa. One special plane, a Boeing 787-9, is named F-ONUI after Tupaia. He was a famous Tahitian navigator from history.
See also
In Spanish: Air Tahiti Nui para niños
