Munda International Airport in Western Province is continuing to record gradual growth in passenger arrivals from Brisbane, Australia, operated by Solomon Airlines, following its international opening in October 2023.
Commercial Manager of Solomon Airlines Limited, John Wopereis, shared the update during the Tourism In Focus event in Honiara on Thursday 19th February.
Mr. Wopereis said that in 2024, the airline carried approximately 1,090 passengers on the Brisbane–Munda route.
“In 2025, we flew in 1,625 passengers. So there has been quite a positive growth trend of around 49 percent,” he said.
According to booking data, about 59 percent of those travellers stayed in Munda, while around 10 percent each travelled onward to Seghe, Gizo and Suavana.
The remainder visited other parts of the Western Province.
Mr. Wopereis said Brisbane remains the main source market, allowing travellers from across Queensland to connect to Munda.
However, the airline is also seeing passengers transiting from Sydney and Auckland.
“We have to take advantage of this kind of growth trend,” he said. “As an industry, we must continue improving our product offerings to ensure they are sustainable into the future.”
Citing a 2024 report by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation, Mr. Wopereis said the average tourist spends about USD107 per day.
“If visitors stay for seven days, that is about USD749 per person. Based on the number of passengers, that could equate to roughly USD1.2 million, or around SBD10 million, assuming they are all tourists,” he explained.
He acknowledged that not all arrivals are tourists but emphasised the significant economic impact visitor numbers can bring to destinations such as Munda and Western Province.
Looking ahead, Mr. Wopereis stressed the need for increased investment on the ground.
“We need more places for people to eat, more opportunities to experience local cuisine, more cultural experiences, more tour operators, bundled packages in Queensland, stronger marketing, more influencers, and even more clean-up campaigns,” he said.
He added that he is pleased to see the Lagoon Festival continuing and noted that despite relatively low international passenger numbers so far, the Government remains committed to supporting the Munda international route.
