Fiji Airways is ending nonstop flights between Adelaide and Nadi just over two years starting flights to the South Australian capital.
The airlines currently serves Adelaide from its Nadi hub two times a week with Boeing 737-800 equipment.
The last flight is scheduled to operate on Saturday, July 20.
Fiji Airways said the decision to withdraw from the route followed a review of the network and fleet.
“Taking into account a number of factors, including the aircraft currently available within our fleet, we have decided to pause our direct flights to and from Adelaide,” Fiji Airways said in an emailed statement to Australian Aviation on Tuesday.
“We are currently in direct conversation with customers that have booked Adelaide flights to organise alternative travel arrangements.
“All other routes remain unchanged.”
Fiji Airways commenced nonstop flights to Adelaide in June 2017. It had hoped the route would help support its long-haul flights from Nadi to Los Angeles and San Francisco by offering Australians a new one-stop option to the United States.
In December 2018, it upgauged the Adelaide service from 164-seat 737-800s to 170-seat 737 MAX 8s, becoming the second airline to fly the next-generation narrowbody to Australia.
However, the global grounding of the 737 MAX in March, following the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight, had meant bringing back the 737-800 on the route.
The airline received its first 737 MAX 8 in December 2018 and has two of the type in its fleet.
It had been due to receive a further three 737 MAX 8s in 2019. Instead, it has leased a 737-800s as cover while Boeing pauses deliveries and works on a software fix to an anti-stall feature on the 737 MAX implicated in both the Ethiopian Airways accident and another fatal crash involving a Lion Air flight in October 2018.
The 737 MAX 8s were slated to replace Fiji Airways’ existing narrowbody fleet of four 737-800s and one 737-700 used on short- and medium-haul routes to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The end of nonstop flights to Adelaide will reduce the airline’s Australian network to three destinations – Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – served with a mix of 737-800s and Airbus A330s.
