The Air Taxi Crew

Simon Turner

CEO, and Line Pilot

Originally from New Zealand, Simon is the founding member. After spending a number of years flying for local airlines in Africa (he has even flown a micro light around Victoria Falls), he brought his skills to the company and took over the day to day running of the business. While still actively flying, his main focus is marketing the business and product & services development. His passion is kite surfing so if not flying, you can find him jumping over the surf breaks around Port Vila beaches.

 

Meliana Samuel

Bookings Co-ordinator & Office Manager

Meliana is the first point of contact for all customer enquiries. As well as ensuring all reservation enquiries and processing, she likes to personally check-in everyone for their flight and generally keep the lives of the rest of the team in order. Mili is originally from the island of Malekula but has lived in Port Vila for most of her adult life. She is fluent in 3 languages, including English and of course the local language Bislama. A tireless workaholic, she is the glue that binds Air Taxi together, an integral part of the team.

 

Brian Johnstone

Chief Engineer & Maintenance Controller

Brian has been involved in aviation from an early age. Together with his wife Jules, he owns and operates an aircraft engineering facility at Port Vila Airport, Airworx Engineering Ltd. Airworx Engineering, through its aircraft leasing arm, own a number of the aircraft operated by Air Taxi. This puts Air Taxi in the unique position of having its own, dedicated aircraft engineering facility, providing the highest levels of maintenance to the Air Taxi fleet. Airworx also provides commercial jet maintenance services to Air New Zealand, Virgin, Air Fiji, Solomon Airways and Air Calin.

Possessed with the patience of a saint, for BJ, nothing is ever a problem.

 

Lisa Beckley

 

 

Paul Dalley

Santo Base Manager

Paul, our Santo Base Manager, will show you northern Vanuatu like no other pilot could. He’s been flying since the age of 12. He is experienced on over fifty types of aircraft, has flight instructed in New Zealand, piloted seaplanes in America, flown in air shows in Japan and ferried a number of aircraft across the Pacific. Paul has chosen to make the island of Espirito Santo, in northern Vanuatu, his home, after arriving here five years ago and falling in love with the place.

Paul comes from a long line of aviators and continues his family’s passion for aviation, so much so that he named his son ‘Air’. Paul has a special love of flying and with an intimate knowledge of Santo and northern Vanuatu, he can show off the best that this beautiful part of the country has to offer.

 

Sam Procter

Senior Pilot

Another kiwi pilot, originally from the Waikato region of New Zealand, Sam started his aviation career in the skydiving industry. Since moving to Vanuatu in 2014 he has grown to love South Pacific bush flying, along with the tropical lifestyle that comes with it.

When not flying from island to island, Sam will most probably be found at his favourite local surf break, Pango Point, or diving on one of the island’s many reefs.

 

Dave van der Burg

Line Pilot

Dave and his wife Amy moved to Vanuatu after Amy accepted a position with the Vanuatu office of World Vision. Their move continues an intrepid van der burg tradition of working in the world’s far flung places – in fact they met in Ethiopia whilst both working for aid organisations.

Dave has flight instructor experience but has built most of his flight hours ferrying light aircraft the length and breadth of New Zealand.

 

Adam Reid

Line Pilot

Originally from the Counties Manukau region of the North Island of New Zealand, Adam, like many NZ professional aviators, started his career as a flight instructor. In early 2016, Adam moved to Vanuatu and has quickly fallen in love with the people, culture and lifestyle. Another keen surfer, he likes to explore the unknown breaks of the outer islands, also taking an interest in learning the local language Bislama.

Possessed with a strong passion for helping people, Adam enjoys his time spent with travellers and locals alike, wherever he is in the tropical paradise of Vanuatu he now calls home.

 

Ansen Jimmy

Transfer driver

A formula one driver in a previous life, Ansen is in charge of ensuring your swift, safe transfer, to and from the airport. A born entrepreneur, with his ever growing fleet of buses he deals with the stresses of organising the collection of up to 30 people per tour, from multiple resorts with aplomb.