Page 21 - Islands Business May 2023

Aviation Aviation

FIJI AIRWAYS’ A350-DEGREE TURN

By Samantha Magick The larger planes have also enabled Fiji Airways to carry
more freight, particularly during COVID-19.
Fiji Airways’ Executive Manager Global Sales expects the “On the A350, we carry between 20 to 25 tonnes of freight
airline will carry one million passengers on its flights this year. on top of passengers, which can carry 60 more passengers
Akuila Batiweti says while this is the airline’s 2024 target, than the A330. We carry everything from taro, turmeric and
he is optimistic this goal will be reached in 2023. ginger. The A350 allows us to connect Fiji to markets in agri-
He projects that Fiji Airways will generate between FJ$1.5- culture and trade,” Batiweti notes.
$1.6 billion in revenue in 2023, 95% of that being foreign In 2022, Fiji Airways carried 12,000 tonnes of freight. Bati-
currency. weti expects that to increase this year.
The carrier recently relaunched its service to Kiritimati Meanwhile Fiji Airways has resumed Pacific Island routes.
Island (Kiribati) and will begin flying to Canberra, Australia “We’ve given our Pacific Island brothers and sisters the op-
for the first time in July. It is adding a third weekly service to portunity to also connect by flying these flights between mid-
the Hong Kong route in night and 5am,” Bati-
August, a fourth flight weti says of the ‘back of
in October, and a fifth the clock’ services from
weekly service by De- Tonga and Samoa, which
cember. connect to early-morn-
“Our Hong Kong flights ing services to Australia
are so full right now. and New Zealand. He
We have challenges has suggested other
with resourcing out in Pacific Island routes may
the airports, but we are be added.
doing our best and we He notes North
hope to add a lot more Fiji Airways’s Akuila Batiweti (in blue shirt) with Spartan Games representatives at the recent Fiji Tour- America will be a future
services soon,” Batiweti ism Exchange. focus for Fiji Airways,
observes. with capacity to the
Flying to so-called three North American
‘secondary’ cities in Aus- ports (Los Angles, San
tralia such as Canberra Francisco and Vancou-
and Adelaide, is also part ver) up by 50% more
of the airline’s strategy. than in 2019. “We are
Batiweti says Canberra looking at some new
is a “wonderful opportu- ports in America beyond
nity” as the city has the San Francisco and LA,”
highest level of dispos- he says.
able income per capita “What the A350 brings
of any Australian city, us now is the ability to
is very cold in winter, go further than we’ve
and has no access to ever dreamt of going.
a beach. Initially two Our A350 can fly about
services a week will be 17 hours. So right now,
offered on this route. our longest ports take
“We’re actually trying Route map about 10 hours. We can
our best to add more services because our flights are already go quite far with our A350. The possibilities in the new coun-
quite full for Canberra. So it’s very encouraging for us as a tries and new destinations to fly to are endless for us.”
destination to be able to open up a new route and straight While there is optimism at the airline, Fiji police have
away fill up those flights,” he says. confirmed they are following up on a complaint relating to
Fiji Airways expects the delivery of two new A350s in the the purchase of aircraft through Waqavuka Financing, the
third quarter of this year, the first in late July, and the second company registered in Ireland to hold the titles of the new
in the first week of August. aircraft until the loan used to secure them has been repaid.
Batiweti says these aircraft have been game changers as Fiji Airways has told the Fiji Times that it is unaware of the
they have helped the airline meet the demand for extra seats investigation.
and burn 10 times less fuel than the A330s between Los Ange-
les and Nadi. editor@islandsbusiness.com

Islands Business, May 2023 21