Fiji Airways to Add Two More Airbus A350s

DALLAS – The flag carrier of Fiji, Fiji Airways (FJ), is set to obtain two more Airbus A350 airliners. The airline aims to add two new A350-900s in July and August to help expand its operations.

Last Wednesday, during a Parliament session, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad announced that FJ would acquire the A350s. He said the aircraft would enable fuel savings of about 15 to 20% when carrying a full load of 360 passengers and up to 30 tonnes of freight.

According to the minister, after the accession of the A350, the fleet of FJ would consist of four Airbus A350s, four Airbus A330s, five Boeing 737-8s, and one Boeing 737-800. It will give FJ one of the youngest fleets in the world.

Furthermore, the airline's domestic and regional services, operated by Fiji Link, using a fleet that includes three ATR 42 and 72 aircraft and four De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters.

Fiji Airways DQ-FAJ Airbus A350-941 — Fiji Airways Airbus A350-941 (DQ-FAJ). Photo: Luca Flores/Airways

Youngest Fleet

In a statement, FJ CEO Andre Viljoen said, "This year, we will be adding an additional two A350-900s to our fleet. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks but the new aircraft allow us to add more capacity to our existing routes and explore further growth of our network."

Professor Biman Prasad said that the additional airframes will be used to increase flights to Sydney (SYD), Auckland (AKL), Melbourne (MEL) and Brisbane (BNE) to "increase capacity, match customer demand, and offer more freight space."

Fiji, a country highly dependent on tourism, is experiencing a solid recovery in passenger traffic at Nadi (NAN), and future travel bookings have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Additionally, there has been a notable rise in North American travelers using Fiji as a transit and stopover point when crossing the Pacific. Recently, FJ resumed its flights to Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Hong Kong (HKG). Services to Seoul Incheon (ICN) are expected to continue soon.

https://airwaysmag.com/first-parts-a350f-begin-construction

Feature Image: Fiji Airways Airbus A350-941 (DQ-FAJ). Photo: Michael Rodeback/Airways.