South Australians will have a new one-stop option to the United States from June 2017 when Fiji Airways begins twice weekly flights between Nadi and Adelaide.
The route will be flown using Boeing 737-800s, with the inaugural service due to take off on June 30 2017, Fiji Airways said in a statement on Wednesday.
In addition to being the only airline offering nonstop flights between Adelaide and Nadi, Fiji Airways is also hoping the new route will help support its year-round flights to Los Angeles and seasonal schedule to San Francisco.
“We’re delighted to launch our fourth Australian route, which will allow us to bring our unique Fijian hospitality to South Australia and will provide an alternative route to the United States via Nadi,” Fiji Airways chief executive Andre Viljoen said.
While Adelaide will be served with 737-800s configured with eight business and 156 economy class seats for a total of 164, Fiji Airways operates to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with a mixture of 737-800 and Airbus A330 equipment.
Currently, South Australians heading to the United States can fly one-stop through Australia’s east coast capitals, Auckland or Asian points such as Hong Kong.
Adelaide Airport managing director Mark Young said he believed the route would be well supported.
“Fiji has always been a hugely popular destination with South Australian travellers, and Fiji Airways’ new link will make it even more attractive,” Young said.
“South Australia’s strong Fijian community will also benefit from a direct link with Nadi bringing them closer to their family and friends.”
While Fiji Airways is majority government owned, Qantas holds 46 per cent of the airline, while Air New Zealand has about two per cent. The governments of Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa and Nauru also each have a small stake in the airline formerly known as Air Pacific.
The upcoming Nadi flights comes on top of new international service to Adelaide in 2016 from Qatar Airways (Doha) and China Southern (Guangzhou).
Flight Number/Routing |
Days of operation |
Time of departure |
Time of arrival |
|
FJ961 Nadi-Adelaide |
Monday, Friday |
1630 |
2030 |
|
FJ960 Adelaide-Nadi |
Monday, Friday |
2200 |
0535+1 |
