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 Fiji AirwaysAirbus A350-900 | |||||||
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| Founded | 1947; 79 years ago (1947) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1 September 1951; 74 years ago (1951-09-01) | ||||||
| Hubs | Nadi International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Nausori International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | |||||||
| Alliance | Oneworld | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Fiji Link | ||||||
| Fleet size | 14 | ||||||
| Destinations | 28 | ||||||
| Parent company |
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| Headquarters | Nadi International Airport,Nadi,Fiji | ||||||
| Key people | |||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Fiji Airways, formerlyAir Pacific, is theflag carrier ofFiji. It operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 27 destinations, and has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners, includingQantas, who also own a stake in the airline. The airline is a member of theOneworld alliance.
The Fiji Airways Group brings in 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1,000 employees, and earns revenues of overFJD$815 million (US$390m).[1]
The first commercial flight as Fiji Airways was made in 1951, but the airline's origins date back to the formation of Katafaga Estates Ltd. in 1947. After being acquired by Qantas in 1958, Katafaga Estates was retooled as a regional airline and renamed Air Pacific. In May 2012, MD/CEO David Pflieger announced that as the final part of the airline's successful turnaround, the airline would be returning to its former name of Fiji Airways to reinforce its role as the national airline of Fiji.[2] TheFiji government owns 50% of the airline, the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) owns 30%[3] and Qantas 16%, diluted from its previous 46% stake after FNPF purchased their stake in Fiji Airways to raise capital during theCOVID-19 pandemic,[4] with the governments of several Pacific island nations holding the remainder.[1][5]
The airline replaced five of its older Boeing 737 aircraft with newer Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at a list price of around US$110 million each, beginning in 2018. The airline is also currently leasing two Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The 737 MAX 8s and A330-200s are intended for Fiji Airways' services within Oceania, while the Airbus A330-300s and A350-900s are intended for services to long-haul destinations such as the United States, Canada and Singapore.
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The airline was founded by Australian aviatorHarold Gatty who in 1931 had been thenavigator on a record-breaking round-the-world flight withWiley Post.[6] Gatty moved to Fiji afterWorld War II and registered the airline in 1947 as Katafaga Estates Ltd., after the coconut estate Gatty had established on Fiji's eastern island group. Gatty renamed the airline as Fiji Airways in September 1951.[7][8] The New ZealanderFred Ladd was Fiji Airways' first Chief Pilot.[9]
Fiji Airways' inaugural flight was on 1 September 1951, when a seven-seaterde Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane departed Suva's Nausori Airport for Drasa Airport near Lautoka, on the west coast of the main island.[8] The airline's first international flight toBrisbane, Australia was on 1 June 1973.[7] In 1983, the airline started flights to the US with a route to Honolulu called "Project America". In December 2009, Air Pacific commenced a twice-weekly service to Hong Kong from Nadi, which was increased to three services in January 2014. In July 2010, Air Pacific announced a new Suva-Auckland service, which was discontinued in 2020.
After Gatty's death in 1958, Fiji Airways was acquired byQantas.[7] Initially, Qantas tried to create international support for a multinational, shared, regional airline. By 1966, Fiji Airways's shareholders included the governments ofTonga,Western Samoa,Nauru,Kiribati and theSolomon Islands.[7][10] By 1968, Qantas,Air New Zealand,British Overseas Airways Corporation and the Fiji government held equal shareholdings.[11]
After Fiji gained independence from Great Britain in 1970, the new national government began buying shares and the airline was renamed Air Pacific to reflect its regional presence.[5][12]
By the early 1970s, seven Pacific island governments, some still under British rule at the time, held shares in Air Pacific, in addition to shares held byQantas, Air New Zealand and the British Overseas Airways Corporation. However, the regional airline idea lost support as some of the shareholding Pacific island governments sold their shares and created their own national airlines.[8][10]
In the 1970s, tourism became the nation's leading industry, which made the airline even more important to the Fijian economy; and in 1974 the government of Fiji began increasing its shareholding.[7] By 1978, it owned 93%. In 1987, Qantas purchased 20%.[13] In 1993, the government owned 80%, Qantas 10% and Air New Zealand 2%.[14] Having in 1995 acquired a further 8% from Sea-Com, in 1998, Qantas increased its shareholding to 46%.[15][16]
In the 1990s, the airline relocated its headquarters from the capital city ofSuva to the coastal town ofNadi where themain international airport is located.[7] The company also constructed an elaborate aircraft maintenance centre there.
In 2005, Air Pacific acquired Sun Air, a domestic airline, renamed it Pacific Sun and began operations as Air Pacific's domestic and regional subsidiary.[17] In May 2012, Managing Director & CEO Dave Pflieger announced that the airline, which was completing a successful turnaround that included restructuring and re-fleeting, would be re-branded as "Fiji Airways" to help enhance sales and marketing of the airline and the south Pacific island nation. In June 2014, Pacific Sun was rebranded to Fiji Link.[7][8]
In May 2012, the airline announced that it would berebranding to its original name of Fiji Airways, with the rebranding coinciding with the delivery of the A330 aircraft in 2013.[12] Fiji Airways' new logo, a "Masi symbol that epitomises Fiji and enhances the new name of Fiji's national carrier", was announced by Managing Director & CEO Dave Pflieger on 17 August 2012. The design was created by local Fijian Masi artist, Makereta Matemosi.[18] The airline's new brand identity and colour scheme were fully revealed by the CEO and Prime Minister of Fiji at a formal red-carpet, black-tie event in Suva on 10 October 2012, in conjunction withFiji Day.[19]
The rebranding to Fiji Airways officially took place on 27 June 2013. The name change aimed to associate the airline more closely with the nation and to be more visible insearch results. Also during the rebranding of Air Pacific to Fiji Airways, a new line of uniforms for its cabin crew was launched, and was designed by Fiji-based French designer Alexandra Poenaru-Philp. In China, the name Air Pacific was often confused with Hong Kong airlineCathay Pacific, Philippine airlineCebu Pacific and a Chinese air conditioning company.[1] With the rebranding came a name change for the airline's booking classes. The Pacific Voyager (economy) and Tabua Class (business) of Air Pacific became the Fiji Airways' Economy and Fiji Airways' Business Class.[1] The airline also launched a newwebsite with the rebranding.[20]
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Fiji Airways used small de Havilland Dragon Rapide andde Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover aircraft when it was newly founded. The fleet grew to include twoATR 42 turboprops and two leased jets, aBoeing 747-200B and aBoeing 767. By the late 1990s, the fleet included bothBoeing 737 and 767 jets, while the ATR 42 turboprops were used on domestic flights.[7] Air Pacific also operated 2 BAC 111 Srs 479 jet aircraft from 1973 until 1984. These aircraft operated across the airline's network including to Australia. The 747 was originally leased from Qantas. In August 1993, it was replaced by a 747 from Air New Zealand.[21] From August 1996, a 747-200 was again leased from Qantas.[22]
The2000 Fijian coup d'état devastated the country's tourism industry and overall economy, which led to a substantial decrease in travel to Fiji. Faced with a falloff in air traffic, Air Pacific returned one of its two leased Boeing 747s.[7] In 2003, Air Pacific received the first of twoBoeing 747-400s it was leasing fromSingapore Airlines. They had previously been leased withAnsett Australia until Ansett's collapse in 2001.[23]
In 2006, Air Pacific ordered fiveBoeing 787-9s.[24] In April 2011, Air Pacific announced that it had cancelled its Boeing 787-9 order due to delivery delays of almost four years by Boeing. In October 2011, Air Pacific announced that it had ordered threeAirbus A330-200s. In March 2013, the company received its first "Fiji Airways" branded Airbus A330. It was christenedThe Island of Taveuni and had its first flight to Auckland on 2 April.[1][20] In June, one of the Boeing 747-400s was retired. The other, although 'withdrawn from service', was used on an ad-hoc basis when needed. It was retired on 20 November 2013 when it was flown to be scrapped.[25] Today, the fleet includes fourAirbus A350-900, fourAirbus A330-200s, oneAirbus A330-300, oneBoeing 737-800, and fiveBoeing 737 MAX 8s.Fiji Link operates twoATR 72-600, anATR 42-600 and threede Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.[26] In preparation of the rebranding, Air Pacific retired its Boeing 747-412s from service.
On 2 May 2019, Fiji Airways announced its intention to lease twoAirbus A350-900 fromDubai Aerospace Enterprise as a part of their fleet expansion.[27] They operate on routes toAustralia,New Zealand and theUnited States. These A350 frames were originally to be delivered toHong Kong Airlines, however following the cancellation of that order, they were purchased by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.[28][better source needed]
As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Fiji Airways announced 800 job losses in Fiji on 25 May 2020.[29]
In partnership with Qantas, Air Pacific helped pioneer the concept ofcodeshare agreements in the early 1980s.[5][7] Today, codesharing is an accepted airline practice all over the world. In the 1990s, Air Pacific signed a codeshare agreement withCanadian Airlines, allowing it to transport traffic from Toronto on to Auckland, New Zealand. Soon after it struck a codeshare deal withAmerican Airlines.[5]
Qantas, which owned less than 20% of Air Pacific at the time, began a ten-year management contract with the airline in 1985 to help reverse the financial losses the company was struggling with. In 1986, Air Pacific posted a profit of nearly $100,000. In 1987, Qantas paid a reported $3.5 million for a 20 percent stake in Air Pacific. Qantas raised its equity from 17.45 percent to 46 percent in 1998.[7]
On 25 January 1995, Air Pacific and the thenRoyal Tongan Airlines began a joint leasing of aircraft. The concept came complete with the livery of the two airlines painted on each side of theBoeing 737-300 fuselage.[7]
Fiji Airways has a subsidiary airlineFiji Link (formerly Pacific Sun) that offers domestic flights and flights to the nearby islands ofTonga,Samoa,Tuvalu andVanuatu.[30] Fiji Airways is also a partner with the frequent flyer programmes ofAlaska Airlines,American Airlines, andQantas.[20]
Fiji Airways codeshares with Air Vanuatu, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, Qantas, Samoa Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Solomon Airlines.
Fiji Airways has been a Connect Member ofOneworld since 5 December 2018.
In June 2024,Oneworld and Fiji Airways announced that Fiji Airways would become the alliance's 15th full member of the alliance with the transition set to begin immediately and be complete within 12 months.[31][32] That same month, American Airlines announced that Fiji Airways would join itsfrequent-flyer program,AAdvantage, sometime within the ensuing year.[33] Fiji Airways membership upgrade from Connect member to full membership officially concluded on 1 April 2025, with the carrier joining AAdvantage on the same day.[34]
In November 2024, the airline implemented a complimentary unlimitedonboard Wi-Fi system forinstant messaging across all classes.[35]
Fiji Airways is part of the Air Pacific Group (which includes the national airline, its wholly owned subsidiary Fiji Link, and a 38.75% stake in the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau Island). The Air Pacific Group itself is owned by the Fijian government (50%), Fiji National Provident Fund (30%) the Australian flag-carrier Qantas (16%), and Air New Zealand (4%).[12]
The airline was largely profitable from 1995 to 2004, with the exception of 2001.[36] In the late 2000s, the airline suffered back-to-back losses of FJ$5.2 million for fiscal year 2008–2009 and FJ$65.3 million for 2009–2010.[37] It posted FJ$24.8 in 2009–2010 and FJ$11.4 in 2011–2012, respectively.[38][39][40] After switching to a fiscal year that ends on 31 December, the airline reported profits for 9 months in 2013 of FJ$8.3 million.[41] In 2014, the airline posted a FJ$55.6 million profit.[42]
The key trends for Fiji Airways, and the overall Group (including Fiji Link operations), are shown below (as at year ending 31 March until March 2013; year ending 31 December thereafter):
| Mar 2009 | Mar 2010 | Mar 2011 | Mar 2012 | Mar 2013 | *Dec 2013 | Dec 2014 | Dec 2015 | Dec 2016 | Dec 2017 | Dec 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiji Airways | |||||||||||
| Turnover (FJ$m) | 515.0 | 555.3 | 645.9 | 659.7 | 512.9 | 735.6 | |||||
| Profit (before tax)(FJ$m) | −91.8 | −3.7 | 16.5 | 18.0 | 8.3 | 65.2 | |||||
| Statutory profit after income tax (FJ$m) | −5.2 | −65.3 | 24.8 | 11.4 | 14.1 | 8.7 | 55.6 | ||||
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | |||||
| Air Pacific Group | |||||||||||
| Turnover (FJ$m) | 544.6 | 586.7 | 678.3 | 690.6 | 541.2 | 769.5 | 815.3 | 825.3 | 929.0 | 1,018.7 | |
| Profit (before tax)(FJ$m) | −78.5 | −4.3 | 14.2 | 22.4 | 14.2 | 60.8 | 70.2 | 84.5 | 95.8 | 55.3 | |
| Profit after income tax (FJ$m) | −58.9 | 25.3 | 10.7 | 17.8 | 14.5 | 52.9 | n/a | ||||
| Number of employees | 800 | n/a | n/a | n/a | >1,000 | 1,384 | n/a | ||||
| Number of passengers (m) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | n/a | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 | ||
| Passenger load factor (%) | n/a | 77 | 83 | n/a | |||||||
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 13 | 12 | 16 | ||||||||
| Notes/sources | [37] | [38][39] | [40] | [43] | *9 mon [41] | [42] | [44][45] | [46] | [47] | [48] | |
In October 2017, Fiji Airways became the official airline ofFiji Rugby. The sponsorship saw Fiji Airways taking over the following Fiji Rugby teams with major naming and branding rights for the next five years: Fiji Airways Flying Fijians (15s team); Fiji Airways National 7s Team; Fiji Airways Fijiana 15s Team (Women's 15s team); Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s Team (Women's 7s team); Fiji Airways Drua; Fiji Link Referees (all referees in Fiji will be sponsored by and will wear Fiji Link branded apparel).
In February 2018, it announced its exclusive airline sponsorship of Super Rugby champions, theBNZ Crusaders.
The airline is also a sponsor of theFiji International Golf tournament.
Fiji Airways serves 28 destinations as of January 2026.[49]
Fiji Airways hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:[50][51]
Fiji Airways also hasinterline agreements with the following airlines:
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As of August 2025[update], Fiji Airways operates the following mainline aircraft:[59]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | V | Total | ||||
| Airbus A330-200 | 3 | — | 24 | 249 | 273 | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | — | 24 | 289 | 313 | [60] |
| Airbus A350-900 | 4 | — | 33 | 301 | 334 | [61] |
| Boeing 737-800 | 1 | — | 8 | 162 | 170 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 5 | — | 8 | 162 | 170 | |
| Total | 14 | — | ||||
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In the past, Fiji Airways and its predecessor Air Pacific has previously operated the following aircraft:[62]
On 24 June 2024, Fiji Airways was voted2024Best Airline in Australia/Pacific andBest Airline Staff Service in Australia/Pacific bySkytrax.[63]
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