Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa Airways has been fined US$1,000 dollars for allowing a second foreign national in a month to board one of its planes to American Samoa without a proper permit.

The fine stemmed from a New Zealand passport holder who was allowed to travel to the US territory without a permit.

Samoa's Minister for Public Enterprises Leatinuu Wayne So'oialo confirmed the airline now has to pay a total of US$1,500 for both immigration breaches.

The first incident involved Samoa's former associate minister for police who bypassed the check-in desk in Apia using his diplomatic passport to enter American Samoa.

Leatinuu told the Samoa Observer it was not good for the image of the company, especially breaching immigration laws between the two countries.