SOLOMON Airlines Board Chairman, Austin Holmes said the national carrier has gone through cash flow problems.

“We were having problems to pay our creditors, we have had problems in the Inland Revenue but we sorted it out. Basically we were firefighting.”

But Mr Holmes said, with great support from the government, and from the members of the board, they have managed to overcome that hurdle last year.

“We were in intensive care unit, we could have died then,” he laments.

He said running an airline business is peculiar as it needs a lot of safety requirements and licences.

Mr Holmes said there has been quite a lot of media attention, and criticisms in terms of the board micromanaging the entity.

“Because of safety requirements, the airline business is peculiar, you need all sorts of licenses and approval which normal businesses don’t need to.”

He said this include licensing and approval and make sure fit and qualified persons are employed in the airline.

“There was little hiccup, but we finally got Civil Aviation Authority for Solomon Islands (CAASI) to approve the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Brett William Gebers.

Mr Holmes was speaking to members of the private sector that attended the ‘Business after 5’ event organised by the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SICCI) in collaboration with the Solomon Airlines last Friday to welcome the new CEO.

The programme was held at Aero Club Haus in Henderson.

Meanwhile, new Airline CEO, Gebers has assured that he is dealing with pressing issues affecting the national carrier.

Mr Gebers said the biggest issue is the unreliable domestic service operating at the moment.

“I am dealing with pressing issues that need attention at the moment, I am developing a plan to deal with that, and we will implement the plan in the next month or so.

He said the unreliable domestic service was driven by broken-down planes.

He points out that one of the associated problems is single dash 8 aircraft the airline has.

He has already indicated that one of his ultimate plans is looking at purchasing new aircrafts to replace the aging domestic fleet.

Mr Gebers however, said the airline is looking forward to the upgrading of some airstrips in the country.