Fiji Airways welcomed a new A350-900XWB to its fleet of aircrafts, providing more opportunities for Australians to visit Fiji, North America, the South Pacific and beyond.
The larger wide body aircraft expands Fiji Airways’ capacity on flights by up to 30,000 seats a month across the network.
Named the Island of Beqa, the brand new aircraft is the third A350 to join Fiji Airways’ fleet of 20 aircraft. Fiji’s national carrier is currently the only airline to be operating the spacious and energy-efficient Airbus A350 aircrafts direct from Australia to Fiji.
Melbourne residents will now be able to experience the A350 direct to Fiji for the first time, with the aircraft scheduled to fly from Melbourne up to twice a week.
The new aircraft will also service Sydney, increasing capacity from the airline’s most popular Australian port with an A350 now operating the Sydney to Nadi route at least once a day.
The Island of Beqa will also fly to Auckland, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Vancouver, providing Aussies with more convenient connections to destinations across the globe.
Fiji Airways managing director and CEO, Andre Viljoen said that since 2017 the airline has relentlessly worked to modernise its fleet with ‘new generation’ aircrafts such as the Airbus A350.
“The A350, with its superior cabin, significant fuel savings and substantial cargo capacity, has fast become the pride of our airline and the joy of our passengers.”
Viljoen added the airline is now in a stronger position to explore new destinations.
“Fiji Airways brings in 70 percent of all visitors to Fiji. We are crucial to the long term sustainable growth of the tourism industry which is 45 percent of our Gross Domestic Product and the largest employer in the country. As the National Airline we recognise our role is not just to be the bridge to and from the world but to support the growth of tourism, and one of the ways we can do this is by introducing new destinations with potential for high tourism opportunities.”
Currently, Fiji’s national airline covers the West Coast of the USA via flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles as well as Vancouver which was launched in November 2022. With the A350 aircrafts, there is potential for Fiji Airways to operate longer sectors, flying further and capturing a much larger portion of North American tourists.
Some possibilities Fiji Airways is continually exploring for the future include Dallas, Seattle, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and also Noumea, Wallis, Rarotonga, Port Moresby and several additional destinations in Australia.
Viljoen noted that the new aircraft “combines the very latest aerodynamics, new generation engines and use of lightweight materials, to bring a 25 per cent advantage in fuel burn, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and operating costs compared to previous generation aircraft.”
Fiji Airways Global Sale
Enjoy up to 15 per cent off return economy airfares until 31st August 2023 for select travel dates to popular destinations around the world.
All economy fares include meals, beverages, inflight entertainment and carry-on baggage up to 7kg. LITE fares do not include any checked bags.
Book Lite economy return airfares from Australia to:
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Nadi, Fiji from $539
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Los Angeles from $1,089
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San Francisco from $1,089
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Honolulu from $885
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Vancouver from $1,289
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Tokyo from $1,015
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Hong Kong from $1355
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Tonga from $709
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Samoa from $799
