New Zealand moved first. On May 21, 2024, a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules carried stranded citizens from Noumea to Auckland, the opening act in a scramble to get foreigners out of New Caledonia as violent protests spread across the French archipelago.
Australia followed within hours. Canberra announced it had won clearance to charter two evacuation flights, and two Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft left Brisbane for Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA), the island’s domestic airfield.
France then agreed to run a flight of its own. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a Facebook post that it would take tourists to Australia on May 22. “French authorities have advised they will be conducting a flight to Australia today to enable more tourists to depart New Caledonia,” she wrote. “We will continue to work with partners to support the departure of all Australians who want to leave.”
Why flights were needed
Nouméa-La Tontouta Airport (NOU), the international gateway, was shut on May 14, 2024, after the clashes began. The airlifts were the first evacuation effort since that closure.
The unrest coincided with a heated parliamentary debate over a constitutional reform. Supporters of New Caledonian independence oppose the measure. Six people have died in the violence, two of them gendarmes.
AeroTime contacted the French Ministry of the Interior and the Overseas for comment.
