Contaminated fuel is always a problem in aviation, especially when the only jet in the fleet is affected. This is exactly what Solomon Airlines had to communicate on May 1, 2023, because the A320-200 with the registration H4-SIB cannot be used temporarily due to contaminated kerosene.

The Solomon Islands carrier's own fleet consists of just two machines: a 31,8-year-old de Havilland Dash 8-100 and the 18-year-old H4-SIB. The latter was refueled with contaminated kerosene and must remain on the ground indefinitely. The operator said, among other things, that they are in contact with both the civil aviation authority and the manufacturer Airbus in order to be able to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

As part of wet lease contracts, other carriers must step in temporarily. One wants to maintain air traffic on this route. The affected aircraft was last commercially airborne on April 26, 2023. The sector between Honiara and Brisbane was no longer served. Since the following days, aircraft from other carriers have been used as part of ACMI orders.

Solomon Airlines is currently unable to give a date for the re-use of the H4-SIB. In any case, this Airbus A320 can only be brought back into the air after approval by the Civil Aviation Authority. Incidentally, this is not the first incident this year in this small country, because the competitor Air Vanuatu had to leave the only Boeing 737-800 on the ground for around two weeks due to technical problems that were not further communicated. Significantly, Solomon Airlines took over numerous flights at the time with the H4-SIB now grounded indefinitely.