Fiji Airways yesterday unveiled its first non-stop flights between Nadi and one of the busiest travel hubs in the world, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas in the United States of America.
Fiji Airways chief executive officer Andre Viljoen said, in a press conference in Nadi yesterday, the new service between Fiji and Dallas was part of the airline’s 7th Game Changer Strategy that’s driving and optimising their North American business.
“The inaugural flight is scheduled just in time for Christmas on December 10, 2024, and will depart Nadi Airport at 9.15pm and arrive in Dallas at 4.30pm on the same day,” Mr Viljoen said.
“The first flight out of Dallas will depart at 11.10pm on December 10 and arrive at Nadi at 5.20am on December 12.
“This new non-stop 13-hour service will operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using our state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
“Introducing a direct service between Fiji and Dallas is a truly exciting milestone for Fiji Airways and is expected to bring more than 1000 passengers a week into Fiji alone, helping to bolster our tourism industry.”
Mr Viljoen said the Dallas-Fort Worth airport served as a major hub with 1100 domestic and international flights daily, which in peak periods reach in excess of 2000 flights daily, offering connections to more than 250 destinations domestic and global and serving over 80 million passengers annually.
“Dallas-Fort Worth is American Airlines main hub and they provide the majority of these 1100 daily flights, peaking at in excess of 2000 flights seasonally.
“This new route significantly enhances our connectivity with the United States, and beyond, and gives our customers easy access to over 250 destinations.
“Some of these include New York, Miami, London, Paris, Madrid, Dublin and so many more destinations.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, Professor Biman Prasad, said Fiji Airways’ new direct route to Dallas would be an exciting development for Fiji and would help pave the way for expanded opportunities in tourism and trade between our two nations.
“Dallas has immense potential as a new source market for Fiji’s tourism industry, with DFW International Airport currently ranked the third-busiest airport in the world and the state of Texas home to some of the fastest-growing counties in the United States,” he said.
Dallas will be the national airline’s 24th international direct destination and the fifth North American port it serves, along with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Vancouver.
Flights to, from or via Dallas are subject to US Government regulatory approvals, Mr Viljoen said.
