The number of international flights into and out of Samoa have picked up in recent weeks, and despite the high cost of airfares, airlines have reported that September is fully booked. 

Flights from Auckland to Apia for next month are fully book as Samoans abroad and tourists confirm their travel plans to Samoa to witness the country's 60^th Independence anniversary celebration. 

According to the Air NZ online booking for Monday 29 September, which is the only available date for the Auckland to Apia sector, the airfare for a one-way ticket is NZD$1210 which is equivalent to WST$2000. 

Similarly, the cost of airfares from Apia to Auckland for next month is NZD$1118 which is equivalent to WST$1800 for a one way ticket. 

Air New Zealand currently operates four flights to Samoa, which is an increase of weekly flights from once a week when Samoa’s borders were partially open in May this year. 

But starting in October Air New Zealand will increase the number of flights from Auckland from four to five, according to a Samoa Tourism Authority (S.T.A.) press statement. 

This is expected to increase to daily services in November this year using a mix of Airbus A320 narrow-body and Boeing 787 widebody aircraft. 

From Australia, additional Qantas flights between the eastern seaboard and the Faleolo International Airport are in the pipeline with online travel platforms displaying an expanded schedule from November. 

Qantas has faced a shortage of staff since the opening of international borders, with the airline’s senior executives asked to work as baggage handlers as it tries to tackle acute shortage of labour.  

Virgin Australia has ramped up promotions of its return to Samoa from March 2023. The airline is scheduled to operate 5 weekly flights using B737 aircraft – two weekly flights from Brisbane and three weekly flights from Sydney. 

From Friday 26 August, Fiji Airways will operate four weekly flights from Nadi, the S.T.A. confirmed. The Friday service will continue on to Honolulu, reinstating the direct weekly flight between Hawaii and Samoa which the airline operated pre-Covid.

The airline is also set to add a fifth weekly flight from Nadi in October, effectively restoring the airline’s services to what they were prior to the closure of Samoa's borders in March 2020.