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Flights to Vanuatu: Who Flies to Port Vila and Santo

Travel7 min readBy Vanuatu Times Editorial DeskPublished
Illustrated route map of non-stop flights to Port Vila and Santo, Vanuatu, from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

Short answer: Almost every visitor reaches Vanuatu through Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) in Port Vila, on the island of Efate. Non-stop flights currently connect Port Vila with Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Nadi, Noumea and Honiara, and Espiritu Santo's Pekoa airport (SON) has its own non-stop link to Brisbane. Air Vanuatu, the national airline, now flies domestic routes only, so international seats come from Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Solomon Airlines, Fiji Airways and Aircalin. From Australia's east coast the trip takes roughly three to four hours.

This guide explains who flies where as of October 2026, how the domestic network fits in, and what this week's Pacific fare sale tells you about when to book. Schedules in the Pacific change often, so treat the routes below as a starting point and confirm on the airline's own site before you pay.

Where you land: Port Vila, Santo and the outer islands

Vanuatu has two airports that handle international flights. Bauerfield (VLI) sits on the edge of Port Vila and receives the large majority of visitors. Its 2,600-metre runway can take wide-body jets, although the regular services today are narrow-body aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family. Santo-Pekoa (SON), outside Luganville on Espiritu Santo, is the second gateway and the obvious choice if you are going for the wreck diving, Champagne Beach or the blue holes.

Everything else, including Tanna for Mount Yasur, Malekula and Pentecost, is reached on domestic flights from Port Vila or Santo. Our Tanna island guide covers what the short hop south is like.

Who flies to Vanuatu right now

FlightConnections, which tracks published airline schedules, listed seven non-stop destinations from Port Vila when it last updated on 16 October 2026: Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Nadi, Noumea, Honiara and Luganville (Santo). Here is how that breaks down for most travellers.

From Australia

  • Brisbane is the best-served gateway. Qantas flies Brisbane to Port Vila, Virgin Australia flies the same route non-stop (Virgin quotes about 2 hours 40 minutes), and Solomon Airlines flies Brisbane direct to Santo.
  • Sydney has a non-stop low-cost option: Jetstar began Sydney to Port Vila flights in December 2024. Qantas customers from Sydney currently connect through Brisbane, a journey Qantas puts at about six hours.
  • Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth have no non-stop flights. Expect to connect in Brisbane or Sydney; Virgin Australia and Qantas both sell through-fares that do this on one ticket.

From New Zealand

  • Auckland: Solomon Airlines flies Auckland to Port Vila non-stop in about 3 hours 15 minutes, and added a fourth weekly flight from 3 July 2026.
  • Christchurch: Solomon Airlines announced a new twice-weekly Christchurch to Port Vila service from 1 July 2026 (Thursdays and Sundays southbound to Vanuatu). It was not shown in the mid-October FlightConnections listing, so check the airline's live schedule before you plan around it.
  • Fiji Airways via Nadi is the main alternative when the direct flights do not suit your dates.

From the Pacific and beyond

  • Nadi (Fiji): Fiji Airways connects Nadi with Port Vila, which makes Fiji the usual stepping stone for travellers coming from North America or Asia.
  • Noumea (New Caledonia): Aircalin links the two French-speaking corners of Melanesia in about an hour.
  • Honiara (Solomon Islands): Solomon Airlines re-established a weekly Honiara to Port Vila flight from 30 March 2026.
  • Europe, the US and Asia: there are no long-haul flights to Vanuatu. Plan on a connection in Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland or Nadi, and price the final leg separately as well as on a through-ticket, because the cheapest combination is not always on one airline.

What happened to Air Vanuatu

Air Vanuatu went into liquidation in 2024 and stopped flying its international jets. Since then it has been rebuilt as a domestic airline, and FlightConnections lists it with four domestic destinations and no international routes. The government has put about VT1.1 billion into two refurbished Twin Otter aircraft, the second of which was on its way from the United States this month, and the 2026 budget speech said it was preparing talks to buy two more Twin Otters and an ATR 42 turboprop (reported by ch-aviation and the Vanuatu Daily Post on 22 October 2026).

For travellers this matters in two ways. First, ignore older blog posts that tell you to fly Air Vanuatu from Australia; that option does not exist right now. Second, domestic capacity is still limited, so book your Tanna, Santo or outer-island seats early and leave a buffer of at least one night in Port Vila between your international arrival and any onward domestic flight. A late international arrival, a weather delay or a schedule change can easily break a same-day connection on a separate ticket.

This week's Qantas sale, and what it says about fares

Qantas launched a Pacific sale on 20 October 2026 with more than 18,000 discounted seats to eight island destinations. The headline Vanuatu fare is A$579 return in economy from Brisbane to Port Vila, for select travel dates between January and September 2027. Business fares to Vanuatu start from A$1,539 return from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The sale runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday 26 October 2026, unless seats sell out first, and Qantas fares include checked baggage and meals.

The sale lands at a busy time for Vanuatu tourism. Qantas notes that the Vanuatu Tourism Office recorded its highest-ever monthly arrivals from Australia in January 2026, and the tourism office has been promoting islands beyond Efate to Australian travel agents this month. More demand on a small number of routes usually means sale fares go quickly and school-holiday dates stay expensive.

For comparison, Solomon Airlines publishes year-round Brisbane to Santo fares from AUD 909 return in its cheapest Saver class, and Virgin Australia's fare page on 23 October showed Brisbane to Port Vila returns from about A$519 for mid-January dates. Fares move daily; these figures are snapshots, not promises.

How to find a better fare

  1. Start from Brisbane if you can. It is the only city with three airlines competing on Vanuatu routes, including a direct flight to Santo. A cheap domestic flight to Brisbane plus a sale fare often beats a connecting ticket from Melbourne or Adelaide.
  2. Match your dates to the dry season. May to October is cooler and drier, which is also when the Qantas sale dates cluster. Our Port Vila weather by month guide explains the November to April wet and cyclone season in detail.
  3. Avoid the December to January peak. Australian and New Zealand school holidays push prices up across every Pacific route.
  4. Compare what is included. Qantas and Virgin economy fares usually include a checked bag; Jetstar's lowest fares do not. Add bags before you compare totals.
  5. Fly straight into Santo for diving trips. If you are heading for the SS President Coolidge or Million Dollar Point, the Brisbane to Santo flight saves a domestic connection. See our Vanuatu diving guide.
  6. Buy flexibility in cyclone season. Between November and April, choose fares that allow date changes and buy travel insurance that covers weather disruption.

Arriving in Port Vila

Bauerfield is a short taxi or minibus ride from central Port Vila; buses are the shared vans marked with a red "B" on the number plate. Vanuatu uses the vatu (VT), and it is easier to arrive with some cash for the first ride than to rely on cards. Before you book, check entry requirements with Vanuatu's Department of Immigration and your own government's travel advice (Smartraveller for Australians, SafeTravel for New Zealanders). For what to do once you land, start with our Port Vila city guide, and for the wider context of how tourism is changing, read Vanuatu tourism after COVID.

The travel couple Dane and Stacey's recent Port Vila video gives a realistic look at arrival, transport and everyday prices in town:

Video: How Is PORT VILA, Vanuatu? (With Prices 💰) by Dane and Stacey (YouTube)

Frequently asked questions

Is there a direct flight from Melbourne to Vanuatu?

Not at the moment. Melbourne travellers connect in Brisbane or Sydney, usually on a single Qantas or Virgin Australia ticket.

How long is the flight from Brisbane to Port Vila?

About 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours non-stop, depending on the airline and the winds.

Can I fly straight to Espiritu Santo?

Yes. Solomon Airlines flies Brisbane to Santo non-stop on Thursdays, with a second weekly flight on Tuesdays scheduled from 7 July 2026 to 26 January 2027.

Does Air Vanuatu fly to Australia or New Zealand?

No. Since its 2024 collapse Air Vanuatu operates domestic flights only. Use it for Tanna, Santo and the outer islands, booked separately from your international ticket.

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