| Airline: | Air Tungaru |
| Iata: | VK |
| Icao: | TUN |
| Callsign: | - |
| Founded: | 1977 |
| Ceased: | 1996 |
| Headquarters: | South Tarawa, Kiribati |
| Hubs: | Bonriki International Airport |
| Destinations: | 20 |
Air Tungaru was the first airline of Kiribati. As the predecessor of current Air Kiribati, it was Kiribati's national flag carrier. Air Tungaru's main base was the international airport at Kiribati's capital, South Tarawa. From there, regular service was provided to all 16 domestic airports in the Gilbert Islands.
According to its June 14, 1981 timetable, Air Tungaru initially operated a Boeing 727-100 jetliner with international service between Tarawa and Honolulu, Hawaii, United States via a stop on Kiritimati (listed as Christmas Island in the timetable) as well as nonstop service between Tarawa and the Tuvaluan capital Funafuti, the latter service being operated with a small de Havilland Heron prop aircraft.[1] This same timetable also lists nonstop service between Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and Papeete, Tahiti operated in association with Union de Transports Aériens (UTA), a French airline that was eventually merged into Air France.[2]
Air Tungaru operated the following aircraft:[3]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727-100 | 1 | 1981 | 1984 | Replaced with a Boeing 737-200 |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 1991 | 1993 | |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | 2 | 1978 | 1996 | |
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | 1 | 1982 | 1996 | |
| de Havilland Heron | 1 | 1981 | 1982 | |