Fiji Airways today took delivery of its newest Airbus A350-900XWB (A350) as part of a journey to modernise the national carrier’s fleet.
Named the Island of Beqa, the brand new aircraft, is the third A350 to join the Fiji Airways fleet. It is considered the world leader in long-range flights.
Company managing director and chief executive, Andre Viljoen said one of their 5 ‘Game Changer’ Strategies the national airline has relentlessly pursued since 2017, has been the modernization of our aircraft with ‘new generation’ aircraft 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.”
“The Island of Beqa is brand new having been put into storage immediately after manufacturing. We were able to negotiate a lucrative deal to acquire it.”
“It 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.”
Viljoen added the airline is now in a stronger position to explore new destinations.
“Fiji Airways brings in 70 per cent of all visitors to Fiji. We are crucial to the long termsustainable 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 recognize our role is not just to be the bridge to and from the world but to support the growth of tourism, one of the ways we can do this is by introducing new destinations with potential for high tourism opportunities.”
“These modern, state-of-the-art aircraft also enable us to explore new destinations much further than our current network. For example, the A350 XWBs are capable of flying much deeper into the United States or Canada.”
“Some possibilities we are continually exploring for the future include Dallas, Seattle, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and also Noumea, Wallis, Rarotonga, Port Moresby and several additional destinations in Australia.”
The Island of Beqa will add more capacity to our leading source markets of Australia and New Zealand, North American long haul flights to San Francisco and Vancouver, as well as Hong Kong which is Fiji Airways’ current gateway to China.
