French Polynesia island of Rekareka to the southeast of Tahiti. Over a century later, British explorer Samuel Wallis visited Tahiti in 1767. French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville also visited Tahiti in 1768, while British explorer James Cook arrived in 1769. In 1772, the Spanish Viceroy of Peru Don Manuel de Amat ordered a number of expeditions to Tahiti under the command of Domingo de Bonechea who was the first European to explore all of the main islands beyond Tahiti. A short-lived Spanish settlement was created in 1774, and for a time some maps bore the name "Isla de Amat" after Viceroy
Air Tahiti in 1987 acquired its first ATR 42 regional turboprop aircraft, marking the beginning of a long collaboration with the aircraft manufacturer ATR. Air Tahiti has experienced one accident since 1987. On April 18, 1991, approaching the airport of "Nuku A Taha/ Terre Déserte" in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, following an engine failure, the Dornier 228 commuter turboprop (F-OHAB) flying the route attempted to land near the coast. Ten passengers out of twenty in the aircraft were killed. Air Tahiti Air Tahiti is a French airline company which operates in French Polynesia, France. Its principal base is Faa'a International Airport. Air Tahiti