Air Tahiti Nui moves into helicopters

Air Tahiti Nui has made a move into the helicopter business to fill a void left when Polynesia’s only civil operator closed last year. A fleet of Airbus AS350 B2 single-engine and H135 twin-engine choppers now bears the Tahiti Nui moniker after the airline formed a joint venture with French-Swiss helicopter company HBG. The four helicopters offer a choice of three panoramic flights from Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes. These include an aerial journey into the volcanic heart of Tahiti, a breathtaking flight over the lagoons fringing Moorea and sightseeing above Bora Bora’s blue lagoon. One trip also hovers over the heart-shaped island of Tupai. Also on offer are private inter-island transfers or charters as well as medical evacuations, aerial photo shoots, firefighting support and construction drops. The helicopter venture comes as Air Tahiti Nui prepares to switch to Boeing 787 Dreamliners later this year and recently released images of its new livery. READ: New Air Tahiti Nui livery a song of sea and sky. The 787s will have 30 business class, 32 premium economy and 232 economy seats. The Poerava Business Rockwell Collins Diamond seats will be in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 60-inch seat pitch the ability to transform into a 78-inch lie-flat bed. The airline says each seat is equipped with a” luxurious cushion and cover comfort system for restful travel” as well as an individual touchscreen remote control, personal lighting and privacy divider. The new Moana premium economy will come with 32 Z535 Zodiac Aerospace seat that in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seats are a comfortable 20.5 inches wide with a seat pitch of 38 inches with a generous recline of 20cm that cradles the passenger. The 232 Z300 Zodiac seats in economy will be in a 3-3-3 configuration with 31-inch seat pitch and 6-inch recline with an articulated seat pan.