PREMIER of Rennell and Bellona province has called on the people of Renbel to respect the officers of the Solomon Airlines.

Premier Collin Singamoana makes this call condemning an incident which occurred at the domestic terminal yesterday morning in which a Renbel passenger assaulted an Airlines officer.

“I understand that some situations may test our tempers but we must always bear in mind that such violence tends to cover the whole province and has repercussions that affect all of us.

“So respect and behave appropriately towards officers of the Airlines. Do not allow our emotions to get the better of us. Be civil because such national service, even if halted for a day, will heavily impact the people of both islands.”

It is understood that yesterday morning an argument arose between a passenger for Rennell and an Airlines officer which led to the officer being assaulted by the disgruntled passenger.

As a result to the incident, the flight was cancelled with the immediate suspension of flights to the province coming into effect.

Premier Singamoana immediately responded and with his delegation yesterday had an audience with the CEO of the Solomon Airlines and his Operations Manager, and from this dialogue the flight suspension for Renbel was lifted.

From this incident, Premier Singamoana appeals to the good people of Renbel province to respect and behave appropriately towards Airlines officers.

“People of Renbel, we must be reminded that this service is very important and such individual actions will lead to cancellations as what happened this morning, which overall affects everyone in the province.

“This matter is a wake-up call for all of us. Let us be mindful of our actions and remind ourselves that there are channels to put our grievances through, rather than physically hurting officers or damaging properties of the Airlines.”

On this note, Premier Singamoana apologises to the Airlines management and the staff involved in the incident.

“My sincere apologies on behalf of the Renbel people and province to the Airlines staff involved in the incident and to the management of the Solomon Airlines.

“I gratefully acknowledge the management’s understanding to our discussions in our meeting therefore resuming flight services to the province.”

Island Sun understands that flight service for Renbel has resumed, with the first scheduled for 10am today.