FIJI Airways successfully operated 523 repatriation flights during the COVID pandemic.
Airline CEO and managing director Andre Viljoen made the remark at the commissioning of two new flight simulators and two new full flight training devices for the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy recently.
“We commissioned phase one, which were the full flight simulators in January, 2020 and in April, the same year, COVID-19 shut us down,” Mr Viljoen said.
He said if it were not for the simulators and the facility, which he called “lifesaver”, the airline would not have been able to operate those 523 repatriation flights.
“Those flights were not only for Fiji but for all the countries around us as well. Secondly, we carried 17,000 tonnes of cargo out of Fiji and into Fiji and also did trans-shipments to Australia and New Zealand.”
Mr Viljoen said in addition to the 17,000 tonnes of cargo, 523 tonnes of medical supplies critical to Fiji were flown in.
“We also took critical medical supplies to other countries around us, and most importantly it enabled us to follow our strategy of being ready, ready to immediately start flying the moment the borders opened, and ready to thrive.
“This academy goes beyond just training, it is a lifesaver.”
