Air Calédonie, the domestic airline of French collectivity New Caledonia, has filed for bankruptcy amid an activist blockade of its airfields.
According to Le Monde, the carrier began “insolvency proceedings” in France on March 27. The company cited the economic impact of the blockade, which is targeting airports on the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines.
Residents began blocking Air Calédonie flights earlier this month in protest of the airline’s decision to move its main hub from Nouméa Magenta Airport to La Tontouta International Airport, New Caledonia’s main international entry and exit point. The relocation would save the carrier millions of dollars per year but would also increase travel times and fares for domestic customers, who are heavily reliant on air transport.
Le Monde reported that at least one of the activist groups involved called off their blockade after the bankruptcy became public.
For now, Air Calédonie flights are operating as normal.
The carrier has faced mounting financial pressure for some time. Visits to the archipelago plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic and again during a period of civil unrest in 2024.
Air Calédonie would need to transport around 300,000 customers per year to break even, Le Monde said, but last year it carried only 180,000.
New Caledonia is located in the southwest Pacific, near Australia.
