Commercial aviation is a fiercely competitive arena where airlines use market power, reputation, aircraft and network planning in different ways to generate profitable income. Away from that ruthless game are routes that need to be serviced where making a profit is impossible, and that's where governments often step in with subsidies to ensure vital connections are kept open. The Australia-North Pacific Connector The Republic of Nauru is an island state in the Central Pacific, approximately 2000 miles northeast of Brisbane, Australia.
With a total area of just 8.1 square miles, it is the third smallest country in the world, bigger only than Vatican City and Monaco and covering less land than the 12.1 square miles occupied by Brisbane Airport (BNE).
Nauru International Airport (INU) has one 7,000-foot asphalt runway and is the home port of Nauru Airlines, the nation's flag carrier that operates flights to other Pacific Islands and Australia. The airline has a fleet of seven Boeing 737s , which includes four 737-300s, one 737-700 and two 737-800s, of which two 737-300 and one 737-800 have been converted to cargo aircraft. This week, Nauru Airlines was in the news because it has been awarded a new agreement with the Australian Government offering targeted support for the Australia-North Pacific Connector route.
Nauru Airlines commenced the route in October 2022 to connect northern and central Pacific countries to key destinations in Australia, Asia and Fiji. This is a (coconut) .