The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation provides the following clarification regarding the privately owned Skyward Pinehills airstrip located approximately 8.5 kilometres southeast of Nadi International Airport.
The airstrip was constructed in 2019 for private recreational aviation purposes. During the planning and development stage, the owners engaged with the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) and Fiji Airports in relation to applicable aviation safety and airspace considerations.
Given the airstrip’s proximity to Nadi International Airport, initial airspace concerns were raised by Fiji Airports. Following further technical assessment, conditional approval was issued in January 2020 to permit limited daytime use, subject to the fulfilment of specified requirements and the formal registration of the airstrip by CAAF in accordance with regulatory requirements.
The implementation of certain requirements necessary for registration was not completed, and progress was subsequently affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the airstrip has not been registered and has not been used for any aircraft operations to date.
The site remains closed to aircraft operations unless and until registration requirements are fully satisfied and approval is granted by CAAF.
The Ministry confirms that there is no aviation safety risk arising from the current status of the airstrip. All established civil aviation regulatory processes have been applied, and the oversight framework remains in place to ensure that any future use of the airstrip complies fully with national regulations and international safety standards.
The Ministry remains committed to transparency, regulatory integrity, and the maintenance of public confidence, and will continue to provide authoritative information on civil aviation matters through appropriate official channels.