The Cook Islands hosted the 81st Association of South Pacific Airlines conference in Rarotonga from 18 to 20 May 2026, bringing airline executives, aviation specialists, tourism leaders and industry partners from across the Pacific together around one question: how to keep island air links growing. The gathering, known as ASPA81, was staged by Air Rarotonga and the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation.
It matters now because the conference landed in the same week Jetstar launched its inaugural Brisbane to Rarotonga service and just before its Christchurch to Rarotonga route is due to begin next week. For a place where each new flight can reshape access, the timing turned a regional meeting into a live test of whether Pacific aviation and tourism can pull in the same direction.
The theme, Island Economies in Flight: Strategic Partnerships Aviation–Tourism, matched the setting. Delegates attended industry presentations and panel discussions that drew in organisations including the International Air Transport Association, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Gallagher Aerospace, CAPA, DA Aerospace, Airway and ASPA member airlines from across the Pacific. The conference was not just about routes and aircraft. It was about how islands sell themselves, how airlines choose them, and how long a service lasts once the first landing excitement fades.
Karla Eggelton, the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation chief executive, said hosting ASPA81 created valuable exposure and long-term opportunities for the Cook Islands. She said the event allowed the country to showcase its destination, aviation sector, tourism product and regional partnerships, while stressing that sustainable connectivity for small island states depends on collaboration, shared commitment and strong destination demand. That is the fault line running through Pacific route development: one airline can announce a service, but lasting connectivity usually needs airports, tourism operators, regional partners and enough travellers willing to fill the seats.
Delegates were also given a closer look at the Cook Islands through networking events, cultural performances, local cuisine and island experiences, part of an effort to leave more than a conference impression. Sir Ewan Smith said forums like ASPA remain crucial for sharing ideas, addressing common challenges and strengthening regional connectivity, while also saying the Cook Islands was proud to host delegates from across the Pacific and show the value of partnership between aviation and tourism. ASPA secretary general David Tohi said many delegates were visiting the Cook Islands for the first time, and that the hospitality and tourism offering left a lasting impression on a group of seasoned aviation professionals.
The next test for that momentum comes in November 2026, when ASPA is scheduled to meet in Tahiti, French Polynesia. By then, the Cook Islands will know whether the attention generated by ASPA81 and Jetstar’s new routes has translated into stronger demand, or whether the broader promise of Pacific connectivity still depends on the same fragile mix of cooperation and commercial appetite.
For readers tracking how the region’s travel network is changing, the Cook Islands meeting offered an early signal that aviation and tourism are being planned as one conversation, not two. That matters for anyone following Pacific route expansion, including those watching the Cook Islands beyond the conference hall, from tourism growth to wider regional links and even broader national exposure such as the country’s World Cup ambitions.
