Fiji Business Briefs: Fiji Airways, Cisco + USP

Fiji Airways staff and Fijian Drua players celebrate the airline’s inaugural flight to Noumea.

Fiji Airways has commenced direct flights between Nadi and New Caledonia with the inaugural flight departing Nadi International Airport Thursday afternoon.

The service will run twice weekly (on Mondays and Thursdays), and heralds the airline’s 26th international destination.

Fiji Airways Chief Executive Officer Andre Viljoen said New Caledonia has great potential, especially for transit passengers from North America and Asia.

“I’m delighted to welcome New Caledonia to the growing list of international destinations that Fiji Airways serves out of our hub in Nadi. There is a growing demand for connectivity across the Pacific and indeed the world, and we stand ready to fill this need when and where possible.”

Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Bill Gavoka and French Ambassador to Fiji, François-Xavier Léger, officiate at the inaugural flight.
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Bill Gavoka and French Ambassador to Fiji, François-Xavier Léger, officiate at the inaugural flight.

USP + CISCO

The University of South Pacific (USP) today signed a MOU with Cisco and Telecom Fiji to establish a Digital Skills Hub on its main Laucala campus in Suva, Fiji.

The new Hub is set to open in the first half of 2024 and will feature Cisco technology, including a cybersecurity lab, design-thinking workshop, collaboration workspaces, and other digitally enabled platforms to provide the students of USP and the wider Pacific Islands community with increased access to digital skills training.

The venture will also see Cisco provide technology to help USP bridge the digital divide in remote and underserved communities that lack connectivity and digital resources.

Officials at the signing of the USP + Cisco MOU
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica and USP Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia flanked by CISCO officials at today’s MOU signing

Vision Investments pays dividend

Vision Investments says it saw a 6% increase in pre-tax profit in the six months to September 30, despite challenging trading conditions.

In a statement to shareholders, the company says it has seen steady recovery, with operating results exceeding FY2019/20 pre-pandemic figures by 25%.

The Directors have declared a first interim dividend of 3cents per ordinary share to be paid on December 29, but also say they expect the second half of the financial year to be challenging due to high inflation, increased skilled workers migrating, and a rise in commodity prices. “As a result, consumer spending is likely to be tight during the major promotion trading period,” it states.