Nauruan Airlines | Airbus A319 | C2-NAU | 2012-present

In 2012, Nauruan found itself in a problematic position. The airline needed to replace its 737-300s, which, now at over 25 years old, were becoming expensive to operate and quite inefficient to fly. This was costing the airline important profits, while it was already costing the government money. The quest to find a replacement would be a hard one, however it was necessary.

The answer to Nauruan's problems came in Kenya, after a small private airline there ceased operations. Its fleet of 5 A319s was relatively young (built in 1999-2000, so the oldest one was about 13 years old at the time) and the A319 offered significant fuel savings compared to the 737-300. After the airline signed a contract with staraustralia, a Sydney-based LCC with an all-Airbus A320 fleet, agreeing to train Nauruan pilots, the government-owned airline took up the A319s, saving them from scrapping, and itself from significant financial troubles.

The first A319, registered C2-NRU, arrived at Nauru International Airport on December 14th, 2012, entering service on Christmas Eve on the Nauru-Sydney route. With the arrival of the A319s came a revised livery and a new website for the airline. Nauruan also dropped the tradition of naming its aircraft after the 12 tribes of Nauru, as the practice had caused controversy around the island and its inhabitants. The 5th and last A319 arrived on July 23rd, 2013, entering service the following morning, and marking the end of a 37-year era with the Boeing 737. Like many other airlines in the region, Nauruan doesn't only operate flights to and from its home airport/country, but also provides vital service in between the various islands of the Pacific, with the help of subsidies. In 2017 a 6th A319 was added to help with this role, and with it Nauruan was able to free up an aircraft to launch a thrice-weekly service to Brisbane.

This aircraft, registered C2-NAU, is the second A319 that Nauruan took delivery of. It was initially delivered on January 8th, 2000 to an airline in the Baltic region, while it entered service with Nauruan on January 19th, 2013. It is configured with 138 Economy Class seats, and can be frequently seen on the airline's routes to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.