The Fijian and the Australian governments recently have held successful air services negotiations in Suva.
As a result of these negotiations, both countries have agreed to increase passenger and freight capacity for their designated airlines.
The Fijian delegation was led by Mr Sharvada Sharma, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary responsible for civil aviation who said that, “The discussions were conducted in a very open and friendly manner and due to Fiji being a popular holiday destination for Australians and the increased demand for seats between the two countries, we have agreed to an additional entitlement of 500 seats per week for each country, which will provide for an extra 1,000 seats per week in the market. Both parties have also agreed to double the freight capacity from 70 to 140 tonnes per week for each country.”
Mr Stephen Borthwick, Acting Executive Director, Aviation and Airports, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, led the Australian delegation and said, “The discussions built on the close aviation relationship between Fiji and Australia and will provide additional opportunities for airlines to strengthen business and tourism links between our two countries.”
The Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs for Fiji Airways, Ms Shaenaz Voss was pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and stated that, “Fiji Airways is committed to expanding its network and growing the number of visitors to Fiji. Australia is a vital destination in our network and this is a significant step forward, providing more travel opportunities for Fijians and Australians.”
Both governments have also agreed to update their air services agreement, which was initially signed in 1982, and to hold further discussions on more flexible code sharing arrangements including third party code shares between the two countries.