Fiji Airways has announced that it will launch service to Australia’s capital city, thus expanding in one of its largest source markets.
Bula, Canberra!
Starting 21st July 2023, Fiji Airways will operate twice-weekly flights between Nadi International Airport and Canberra Airport. The flights will increase to 3-weekly as of 1st October 2023.
The flights operate with the following schedule:
- Nadi-Canberra
- Departure time: 09:15
- Arrival time: 12:20
- Flight time: 5 hours and 05 minutes
- Flight number: FJ951
- Frequency: Tuesdays and Fridays (and Sundays too as of 1st October 2023)
- Canberra-Nadi
- Departure time: 13:35
- Arrival time: 19:40
- Flight time: 4 hours and 05 minutes
- Flight number: FJ950
- Frequency: Tuesdays and Fridays (and Sundays too as of 1st October 2023)
Flights will be operated Fiji Airways’ Boeing B737MAX-8 aircraft featuring 8 Business Class seats and 162 standard Economy Class seats. Business Class seats have a 51-inch seat pitch with 8-inch recline, 13-inch inflight entertainment screen and a USB power port. Economy Class seats have a 32-inch seat pitch, 5-inch recline, 10-inch inflight entertainment screen and a USB power port.
As Fiji’s National Airline, we are proud to be flying to the Capital of Australia. This is a living testament to the strong relations that the two countries have always enjoyed, and demonstrates the importance of Australia as our leading tourism market. We are pleased to be able to provide the people of Canberra the only direct flights to Nadi, facilitating a seamless holiday experience which begins the moment they step onboard. As of July, your getaway to paradise will be a short four-hour journey with our international award winning APEX Five Star service. We also anticipate the many Fiji citizens will also take advantage of this route to visit Canberra.
said Andre Viljoen, Chief Executive and Managing Director, Fiji Airways.
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Viljoen added that the airline conducted extensive market research before deciding on this new service, which is natural for any airline deciding on which new route to serve.
This marks another significant milestone for Fiji Airways as we continue to expand our network and provide greater connectivity for our customers. We are thrilled to bring our world-class service to Canberra and look forward to welcoming our customers onboard.
added Viljoen.
Convenient connections
Fiji Airways has built a niche market of its own, offering convenient connections to/from Australia to/from United States. The airline also runs a promotional stopover campaign, aimed at travellers taking a short break in the island nation and showcase what Fiji has to offer, something similar to Emirates’ Dubai stopover and Singapore Airlines’ Singapore stopover.
Fiji Airways adds that the Canberra flights too have been timed perfectly to offer convenient connections to/from North America, other South Pacific destinations and the rest of the world.
The airline adds that the addition to Canberra has been made possible due to the forthcoming induction of two more Airbus A350s to the airline’s fleet.
We will receive the first of our two new A350s in July, resulting in an immediate increase in capacity across our network. This means we will be able to dedicate more seats to the Australian market, specifically Canberra. Australia continues to be our major source market for tourism. Not only do we need to be able to cater for the growing number of tourists visiting Fiji, but also position ourselves to create demand and ensure that Fiji Airways is their airline of choice.
added Viljoen.
The induction of two more A350s means that Fiji Airways will be able to replace the B737MAX-8 routes with the A350s, thus freeing up the B737MAX-8 to launch the Canberra route.
Canberra will be the carrier’s 5th destination in Australia after Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Featured image by JetPhotos/Chow Kin Hei
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