Fiji Airways will not stop flying its Pacific Island routes, even in the face of concerns over rising fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East.
That was the undertaking given by Kameli Batiweti, the airline’s Executive Manager, Industry, International and Government Affairs and Corporate Communications, in a media conference at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange in Nadi this week.
It follows reports from New Zealand media that Air New Zealand’s flights to Pacific Islands would be affected by fuel prices.
The airline has cancelled 5% of its flights and notified affected passengers. This includes flights between Auckland and Samoa.
However Batiweti says Fiji Airways will not be following suit, stressing its Pacific Islands routes were about connecting the islands with the world, and each other. The airline currently flies twice a day to Apia.
“We’re not pulling out,” he says. “In fact, talking about Apia, we would like to increase.”
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Gavoka says that service is “quite significant,” having developed over the last two years.
Fiji Airways also flies to Vanuatu. Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati (Tarawa and Funafuti), Tonga (Nuku’alofa and Vava’u), and Nauru.
