An expired Azure Pure Water bottle on board Air Vanuatu on the 18th of January 2023. The expiry date is a bit blurred as the bottle has been there too long. Photo: Supplied.
An expired Azure Pure Water bottle on board Air Vanuatu on the 18th of January 2023. The expiry date is a bit blurred as the bottle has been there too long. Photo: Supplied.
On January 18, 2023, a passenger on board the Air Vanuatu Boeing 737 flying from New Caledonia to Vanuatu voiced complaints over the serving of outdated Azure Pure Water to passengers on the aircraft.
The passenger enquired as to why Air Vanuatu continued to offer Azure Pure Water although the company had shut down two years prior.
He continued by saying that these are harmful for our visitors because they could become ill and the Vanuatu tourism industry could suffer.
The passenger claimed that the Azure Water Bottle's expiration date was 2020 because the company had closed in 2019, even though the water was actually packaged in 2018.
Daily Post’s investigation on expired bottle water indicated that over time, some plastic-related chemicals may seep into bottled water, which might potentially be harmful to one’s health.
Also, it is therefore generally better to stay away from commercially bottled water that is much past its expiration date.
However, the Azure Water was closed in 2019 when the owners - late Shaun Gilchrist and Yael Sakker - made the announcement that the company would permanently close on Saturday, December 14, 2019.
When the Daily Post inquired into this matter with the Air Vanuatu catering services, they said that ever since Azure was shut down, they had left behind piles of Azure water, which the airline's catering was still using on board.
They maintained that they have permission from the main office, and if the Daily Post wants a clear answer, they should go to the Air Vanuatu main office.
Apology and assurance expired Azure Pure Water has been replaced with Vanuatu Water
The Daily Post then got in touch with Air Vanuatu management on January 23, 2023, and they expressed their heartfelt regrets for the mistake made by the team leader.
Additionally, they stated that all Azure Pure Water has been removed, destroyed and replaced by Vanuatu Water.
In order to confirm this, the Daily Post contacted a passenger who had been on board the aircraft on January 24, 2023. The passenger confirmed that there is no longer any Azure Pure Water on board, only Vanuatu Water.
The management of Vanuatu Water also responded to the Daily Post concerning the matter and confirmed that they have an arrangement for their 600ml bottles of water to be served on Air Vanuatu flights.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.