Tahiti eyes families as Air Tahiti Nui resumes flights via Narita

"With the resumption of the Narita–Papeete route on Sept. 8, we will move to a year-round scheduled service with no off-season suspension starting next year," said Kim Mi-kyung, executive director at Air Tahiti Nui's Korea general sales agent Boram Air.

Kim made the announcement Wednesday at the Air Tahiti Nui Autumn Seminar held at Ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul, where she also outlined the airline's long-term route plans. The event was organized for travel agency professionals who sell and operate Tahiti packages, and covered the resumed flight schedule, new fare rules and medium- to long-term sales strategy.

Tahiti, the main island of French Polynesia in the South Pacific, is renowned worldwide as a honeymoon destination, drawing visitors with its emerald coral lagoons and volcanic terrain. There are currently no direct flights from Korea, so travelers must connect through Tokyo's Narita Airport from Incheon or Busan before continuing to Papeete.

The Narita–Papeete route resumed on Sept. 8 after a suspension period. It currently operates twice weekly from Narita — on Mondays and Fridays — and the airline plans to maintain that twice-weekly schedule in 2027 without any off-season break. Travel time is approximately two hours from Korea to Narita and about 10 hours from Narita to Papeete.

Demand on the French Polynesia route has softened recently due to global conflicts and a slowdown in Japan's domestic economy. The route has nonetheless remained viable thanks to an influx of Korean and Chinese-speaking passengers transiting through Tokyo.

"Honeymooners still make up a large share of our passengers, but families traveling in groups of three or four are consistently coming in, and the traveler base is diversifying," Kim said. "We introduced a family fare in the first half of the year to respond to these market changes."

Air Tahiti Nui's family fare offers one free round-trip ticket for a child under 12 for every adult traveling on the Narita–Papeete route. Passengers departing from Korea can book a child's round-trip ticket for 450,000 won ($331) when flying out of Incheon or Busan.

The airline also revealed its cabin configuration and supplementary route strategy. The resumed service will operate a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner configured in three classes: business, premium economy and economy. Next year, the airline plans to run two charter flights to Easter Island annually, linking them to a Papeete stopover as a new itinerary option. The first charter departs Papeete on March 8 next year and returns from Easter Island on March 11, with tickets already on sale.

"We will support travel agencies in operating and selling packages with confidence through year-round service," an Air Tahiti Nui official said. "Building on that, we will work to steadily strengthen our aviation network connecting Asia and the South Pacific."