World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
The national airline Solomon Airlines (IE) (website: www.solomonairlines.com.au) operates flights from Australia. Qantas offers three flights a week from Brisbane to Honiara. Other airlines serving the Solomon Islands include Air Niugini and Air Pacific.
The Visit the South Pacific Pass is valid for a number of airlines operating in the South Pacific, including Air Caledonie, Air Marshall Islands, Air Nauru, Air Niugingi, Air Pacific, Air Vanuatu, Polynesian Airlines, Qantas, Royal Tongan Airlines and Solomon Airlines. Offering reductions of up to 50 per cent on normal airfares, this sector-based pass allows for flexible island-hopping between the destinations of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu and the more remote Melanesian and Micronesian islands, together with major cities in Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney) and New Zealand (Wellington). The journey must be started outside the South Pacific and only one stopover in Australia is allowed. A minimum of two coupons must be bought before departure (a maximum of eight coupons can be purchased en route). For details and conditions, contact the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (see Contact Addresses section).

Approximate flight times
From Honiara to London is 29 hours 45 minutes, excluding stopover in Brisbane.

International airports
Honiara (HIR) (Henderson Field) on Guadalcanal Island, 13km (8 miles) east of Honiara (travel time – 20 minutes). Bus and taxi services are available. Facilities include bank/bureau de change, duty-free shops (for scheduled international flights) and car hire (Avis and Budget).

Departure tax
SI$40. Transit passengers and children under two years are exempt.

Sea
International ports are Honiara (Guadalcanal Island), Yandina (Russel Islands) and Noro (New Georgia). The cargo line Bank offers a limited number of passenger places. It may also be possible to sail with a yacht from Australia or New Zealand as part of the crew.