Talofa Airways CEO and President Toleafoa Jeffery Hunter does not expect any impact on the airline’s flight service to American Samoa as a result of Samoa’s pullout from the Multilateral Agreement for the Liberalization of International Air Transport or MALIAT.
While here during the weekend for a family event, Toleafoa told KHJ News that Samoa’s pullout from the agreement was to protect its jet services to Australia and New Zealand.
He says Talofa Airways will continue business as usual and indicated that the US Department of Transportation has given a one-year emergency exemption for their company to continue charter and scheduled flights to American Samoa.
Samoa’s pullout from MALIAT was effective March 9. It’s under the open skies agreement which operates on the basis of reciprocity that Talofa Airways was granted authority to operate flight service from Samoa to American Samoa.
