An update from Smartraveller this morning confirmed the quake – and subsequent aftershock this morning – have caused wide infrastructure damage in Port Vila and surrounding regions, including airports, roads and transport services.
Qantas Group has confirmed that Jetstar has scrapped all operations to the Pacific island nation today due to limited details on runway damage.
A scheduled Qantas service on Friday and a Jetstar flight tomorrow may still go ahead, however the carrier said it will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available.
Virgin Australia has also paused operations to and from Port Vila up until Sunday, and told travelBulletin it is working with the Australian Government on ways to safety fly Australians home.
“Our focus is ensuring we have repatriation flights on standby so that we are ready to assist impacted Australians when it is possible to do so. We stand by ready to accept any request for a repatriation service from the Australian Government,” the carrier said.
Virgin Australia guests travelling on Port Vila services until 05 Jan who wish to rebook or cancel can reach out to the Guest Contact Centre or their travel agent for further information.
Disruptions have also caused itinerary adjustments for cruise lines scheduled to visit Port Vila over the next week, with Carnival telling travelBulletin that Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will no longer make calls over the next week.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean has also pulled the trigger on changes, confirming Quantum of the Seas will not call at Port Vila today, diverting to Mystery Island in Vanuatu instead.
“Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the devastating earthquake,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said. Essential communication services such as phone and internet utilities have also been disrupted by the disaster.
The Federal Government has urged Australian travellers caught up in the quake to register with the DFAT crisis registration portal R, while requests for emergency consular assistance should be directed to the Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.
At the time of publishing, reports on the ground suggest 14 people have been killed by the quake, and that number is expected to rise, with hundreds trapped under collapsed buildings.
Despite the acute tragedy unfolding in Port Vila, Chair of the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council, Glen Craig, has called on Aussies not to cancel their trips.
“Most of the properties are still in a position to still host your holiday, and all of the normal resorts and activities will still be open,” Craig told Today. “[The damage] is really concentrated among a few buildings in the CBD of Port Vila.
“It is going to be a very intense clean up over the next few days because…so we are telling everyone to keep with us…and let us do the clean up.”
