TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Royal Tongan Airlines

Established in 1985,  government-owned Royal Tongan Airlines officially commenced operations, the result of several years of planning. Just two years earlier, All Nippon Airways had conducted a feasibility study into the formation of a Tongan airline, which, following numerous changes in participating airlines, found success. The company was initially named Friendly Island Airways. Domestic flights started in 1985 with the purchase of a CASA 212 and a Britten-Norman Islander. A year after, flights were also started to American Samoa and Western…