Solomon Airlines launches strategic plan

Solomon Airlines launched its 2024-2028 strategic plan on Friday 20 January 2024.

The Strategic Plan titled ‘Navigating Excellence’ provides a clear direction to where the national air carrier wants to position itself in the future.

It outlines the airline’s vision and priorities based on Seven Long Term Goals.

These goals are inline with Key Performance Indicators and detailed Initiative programs driven by the airline’s executive management team with regular reporting to Solomon Airlines Board.

Solomon Airlines Board chairman Frank Wickham said the important steps outlined in the strategic plan aimed towards creating Solomon Airlines as the best emerging airline in the pacific region. 

“This is our vision and one that we take very seriously. It underpins our aspiration and lies at the heart of our strategic plan going forward.” 

Mr Wickham said maintaining and expanding the airline’s fleet is one of the key areas that the strategic plan is focusing on. 

“We have a fleet renewal strategy, we are looking at our fleet now reviewing our fleet so that we can have a mix that is fitting for a very challenging domestic market given our runway challenges and also internationally we are looking at how we can address those emerging markets,” Mr. Wickham said.    

Developing the airline’s safety procedures, developing local talent, and making it climate friendly are other key areas covered in the national carrier’s five-year strategic plan.

The plan articulates developing our own people so in the heading of our talent development we want to have succession planning, we want to empower our own Solomon islanders to take up management and leadership roles in the next few years.

Mr Wickham added making the airline financially stable is also one of their top priorities. 

“We aim to be finically strong, very profitable and I can say the performance of the airline up till now is positioning us well in terms of going forward into the future we recognize the risks, we know the assumptions we have to check and test it as we go along, from time to time because in the airline industry things can change and in country we’ve gone through them,” he said.  

Meanwhile caretaker Minister of Finance and Treasury Harry Kuma said the government welcomes the plan as it will ensure that the airline’s development is on track and move to the right direction.   

“The government through the ministry of Finance and Treasury has strongly supported Solomon Airlines over the past years through equity injections, concessional loans, loan warranty and community service obligation payments. We look forward to the new strategy plan providing new solutions and seeing on time payments of dividends and loans to the government,” Mr Kuma said. 

The strategic plan can be accessed through the Solomon Airlines website. 

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By Sharon Nanau