Fiji Airways recently welcomed a new A350-900XWB to its fleet of aircrafts, providing more opportunities for New Zealanders to visit Fiji, North America, the South Pacific and beyond. T
he 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’ modern fleet of 20 aircrafts. Fiji’s national carrier is currently the only airline to be operating the spacious and energy-efficient Airbus A350 aircrafts direct from New Zealand to Fiji.
Auckland residents will now be able to experience the state-of-the-art A350 direct to Fiji for the first time, with the aircraft scheduled to fly from Auckland up to four times a week.
The Island of Beqa will also fly to Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Vancouver, providing Kiwis with more convenient connections to destinations across the globe.
Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Andre Viljoen says 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.”
Andre says the airline is now in a stronger position to explore new destinations. The A350 is considered the world leader in long-range flights, capable of flying up to 15,000 kilometres with 300 passengers on-board.
“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.
Andre says 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”.
In addition to the state-of-the-art aircraft, Fiji Airways is enriching the onboard experience for travellers with revamped menus, additional content on inflight entertainment screens and the introduction of wellness content so guests arrive at their destination refreshed and rejuvenated.
“Picture this; you step onboard our new aircraft and are treated to refreshed Business and Economy class menus with healthier, fresher meals.
“Economy class guests are now offered a choice of three hot meals with a larger variety of freshly made fruits, salads and desserts.
“And coming soon to an inflight entertainment screen near you, Fiji Airways will have blockbusters and award-winning content from Disney & HBO – this means that our guests will experience the best entertainment offering in the region.
“Guests will have access to meditation, breathwork, exercises and music to utilise during the flight through our inflight entertainment. Plus, our Business Class guests can now enjoy complimentary full-flight internet connectivity.”
