Pictured at the signing, from left: Air Marshall Islands chief financial officer Roneel Sharma, Marshall Islands Transportation Minister Hilton Kendall, AMI chairman Bobby Muller, Nauru Airlines chairman Charleston Deiye, Nauru Airlines commercial manager James Blake, and AMI CEO Albon Jelke. Photo: Supplied
Two landmark air carrier cooperation agreements involving Nauru Airlines were signed during the Micronesian Islands Forum in Majuro this week.
The first, signed Thursday, is between Nauru Airlines and Air Marshall Islands (AMI), the national air carrier of Forum's host nation.
This agreement covers cooperation plans ranging from a joint pilot training program to marketing, promotion, schedule harmonisation and sales agent representation for each other.
The agreement was signed by Nauru Airlines chairman Charleston Deiye and AMI chairman Bobby Muller.
On Friday, also on the margins of the Micronesian leaders' summit, Nauru government leaders joined with their counterparts from the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to sign a memorandum of understanding to promote trade and food security opportunities through expanded use of Nauru Airlines cargo services.
Both agreements come after over a year of ongoing discussions about air service cooperation among aviation task forces in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia with Nauru Airlines executives.
An important topic of the ongoing aviation cooperation discussions that was not addressed in the new agreements is expanding Nauru Airlines island hopper service to the Philippines and Hawaii.
Coordinated scheduling of cargo through Nauru Airlines' Central Pacific route is a key component of the agreement among the four Pacific nations in an effort to solve logistical, economic and geographic challenges faced by all of these small islands which historically have had limited access to affordable essential goods and trade opportunities.
"Working together with more air cargo capacity among us and more frequent air shipments will ensure the timely delivery of fresher and more nutritious produce to our nations," Marshall Islands Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce Tony Muller said at the signing ceremony Friday.
"Greater volumes of quality fresh food coming frequently from Fiji through our connected air networks will improve affordability of food, and provide more nutritious, healthier food supplies which of course will support the health of people across our nations."
A regional cargo coordination committee will be formed with a representative from each nation.
Areas of cooperation to be explored include coordinated scheduling of essential cargo through Nauru Airlines' routes, exchange of information on customs, quarantine and air cargo regulatory requirements; exploration of digital cargo tracking and documentation solutions and joint representation in dialogue with regional organizations and development partners to support regional cargo initiatives.
