A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C27 Spartan military transport aircraft is in the country for two weeks for surveillance of illegal activities such as unregulated fishing and drug trafficking.
It will also be used for humanitarian efforts such as search and rescue, and transport of medicine and supplies to outer islands.
Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua said Australia would bear the costs of operating the aircraft, including maintenance and personnel care.
He added they already have a command and planning team in his office that was looking after the tasking that the aircraft would do over the next couple of weeks.
The Australian High Commissioner to Fiji Ewen McDonald said the aircraft “comes on rotations, so it’ll come through every eight weeks for a two-week period”.
