Air Archipels

What Air Archipels does

Air Archipels is a private French Polynesian air transport company founded in 1996 as a 100% subsidiary of Air Tahiti, headquartered in Faa'a, Tahiti. The company operates a fleet of three pressurized turboprop Beechcraft aircraft (one B200 and two B260) configured for private charter flights, urgent medical evacuations (EVASAN), scheduled flights operated on behalf of parent Air Tahiti, and special transport services including cargo and funeral repatriation. It also operates an EASA Part-145 certified aircraft maintenance center, one of the largest in French Polynesia after Air Tahiti's, maintaining its own fleet and offering services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The company serves a territory of 118 islands spread across five archipelagos over an area the size of Europe, with most destinations reachable from Tahiti in under two hours. Air Archipels handles approximately 90% of urgent medical evacuations in French Polynesia and employs a 24/7 dispatch capability with 45-minute crew deployment. Its customer base comprises healthcare organizations, government administrations, private insurance companies, VIPs and high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and private individuals requiring flexible inter-island travel inaccessible via scheduled airline timetables.

Air Archipels generates revenue through on-demand private charter flights (quote-based pricing by destination, service level, and aircraft immobilization time), contracted EVASAN services, scheduled flight operations for Air Tahiti, and ancillary cargo, funeral, and maintenance services. The company employs approximately 40 people, including 10 pilots of which 3 are instructor pilots, and operates without external venture or institutional capital. Geographic operations are confined to French Polynesia, with two former Marquesas routes (Ua Pou and Ua Huka) reallocated to another operator in 2021.

Name

Air Archipels

Legal name

Air Archipels EURL

Website

https://air-archipels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Archipels is a 100% Air Tahiti subsidiary operating private charter flights, urgent medical evacuations (90% EVASAN market share), and scheduled inter-island services across French Polynesia's 118 islands using a 3-aircraft Beechcraft fleet and an in-house EASA Part-145 maintenance center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Aviation Services

NAICS

Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Scheduled Air Transportation (48111)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency, Evacuation & Repatriation Charter Operators (THABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government, Diplomatic & Military Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAG)

Keywords

• Private charter aviation
• Medical evacuation services
• Aircraft maintenance services
• Inter-island air transport
• Aircraft charter flights

Headquarters

HQ city

Faaa

HQ country

French Polynesia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. On-demand Private Charter Flights: Revenue generated from booking private on-demand flights to various islands across French Polynesia. Customers pay based on destination (distances), level of service, and aircraft immobilization time. Pricing is provided via custom quotation. 20% deposit at reservation, 100% one month before departure.
2. Urgent Medical Evacuations (EVASAN): Medical evacuation flights for healthcare organizations and private insurance companies, representing approximately 90% of urgent medical evacuations in French Polynesia.
3. Scheduled Flights for Air Tahiti: Air Archipels operates certain regular flights on behalf of Air Tahiti to islands in the Tuamotus and other destinations, providing a steady revenue stream.
4. Special Transport Services: Cargo flights and funeral transport services, offering all-cargo aircraft configuration or transport of deceased accompanied by up to 3 passengers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Air Archipels is a private aviation company operating a fleet of three Beechcraft pressurized turboprop aircraft (one B200 and two B260) across French Polynesia's 118 islands. The company provides on-demand charter flights, urgent medical evacuations (EVASAN), contracted scheduled flights for parent company Air Tahiti, and EASA Part-145 certified aircraft maintenance services.

Product overview

Air Archipels operates as a private air transport company offering on-demand charter flights across French Polynesia. The core offering comprises tailor-made charter flights allowing customers to design their own flight plans, complemented by urgent medical evacuation (EVASAN) services accounting for 90% of such evacuations in the territory. The company also operates contracted regular flights for parent company Air Tahiti and provides EASA Part-145 certified aircraft maintenance. Special transport services include funeral repatriation and cargo flights. The fleet consists of three pressurized turboprop aircraft (one Beechcraft B200 and two Beechcraft B260) configured for mixed missions including medical evacuation and private charter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tailor-Made Charter Flights On-demand private charter flights allowing customers to design their own flight plan with flexibility in schedules and destinations, offering total confidentiality for VIPs, individuals, administrations, and companies across French Polynesia's 118 islands.
• Urgent Medical Evacuations (EVASAN) Emergency medical evacuation services covering 90% of urgent medical evacuations in French Polynesia. Available 24/7 with crew deployment capability in 45 minutes, serving healthcare organizations, government health services, and private insurance companies.
• Regular Flights for Air Tahiti Contracted scheduled flight operations for parent company Air Tahiti, particularly serving remote Tuamotu islands, providing a steady revenue stream and network integration.
• Aircraft Maintenance Services EASA Part-145 approved maintenance center providing maintenance services for the company's fleet and other operators. Operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with 14 maintenance staff; one of the largest in French Polynesia.
• Special Transport Services Specialized transport services including all-cargo freight flights and funeral repatriation to/from remote islands, offering transport of deceased accompanied by up to 3 passengers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of urgent medical evacuations (EVASAN) in French Polynesia handled by Air Archipels
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Air LoyaltyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2018Air Archipels (subsidiary of Air Tahiti, based in Papeete) signed a partnership agreement with Air Loyalty (subsidiary of Sodil, based in Nouméa, New Caledonia) on October 23, 2018. The partnership was born from a shared realization of similar operational challenges. Michel Druet, director of Air Loyalty, noted that both companies face comparable issues in inter-island aviation operations. The agreement aims to foster collaboration between the two regional Pacific carriers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Air Loyalty: New Caledonia-based regional charter carrier and sister company within the broader French Pacific aviation ecosystem. Air Loyalty signed a formal partnership with Air Archipels in October 2018 specifically because both face comparable inter-island operational challenges, making them the closest peer by mission and operating environment.
• Air Calédonie: Domestic carrier operating inter-island turboprop services across New Caledonia. Highly comparable in scale and mission: small fleet, dispersed island geography, charter and scheduled mix, and similar reliance on tourism and public-sector demand.

Regional players

• Nauru Airlines: Small Pacific carrier serving Nauru and regional routes across Micronesia and the broader Pacific. Comparable in operating niche regional services connecting remote island communities at modest scale.
• Samoa Airways: National carrier of Samoa operating inter-island turboprop services in the Pacific. Comparable small-scale Pacific island operator with a similar mix of charter and scheduled services.
• Air Seychelles: National carrier of the Seychelles operating inter-island and regional services across a small, dispersed Indian Ocean archipelago. Comparable in serving a tourism-dependent island nation with similar operational constraints.
• Air Vanuatu: National carrier of Vanuatu providing inter-island scheduled and charter services across a dispersed Pacific archipelago. Comparable in operating short turboprop routes to remote airstrips with limited infrastructure and tourism-driven demand.
• Air Niugini: Papua New Guinea's flag carrier operating domestic and regional Pacific services. Similar in serving remote island destinations with limited infrastructure, though at significantly larger scale than Air Archipels.
• Air Mauritius: National carrier of Mauritius serving the island nation and regional Indian Ocean destinations. Comparable as a small island-nation carrier with a comparable mix of scheduled regional services and tourism-driven demand.
• Fiji Link: Regional subsidiary of Fiji Airways operating inter-island turboprop services across the Fijian archipelago. Comparable in mission and aircraft profile, connecting remote Pacific island communities to a main hub.

Others

• Air Tahiti: Parent company and main scheduled airline of French Polynesia. Although it operates scheduled rather than charter services, the corporate and operational integration (including Air Archipels' exclusive Tuamotu subcontract) makes it a critical ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AirArchipels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-archipels

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Archipels