The New Zealand Fiji Business Council (NZFBC) has warned that Fiji risks losing vital commercial investment to regional neighbours like Papua New Guinea (PNG) unless direct international flights to Suva are urgently reinstated.
The council warns that the existing “threat of contestability” is quietly undermining Fiji’s economic dominance in the Pacific while the local industry remains complacent.
This warning comes in the wake of the council’s confirmation that PNG is actively pursuing three direct flights from Auckland.
NZFBC president Chandar Sen said travels to Fiji were very frequent with multiple flights in a day but the traffic to Suva needed to be opened.
“Direct traffic to Suva is an absolute must for this business council,” Mr Sen told The Fiji Times in an interview.
“Connectivity is very important.”
Mr Sen said he had attended a PNG business forum last week where he learnt of PNG now looking at direct flights from Auckland to PNG three times a week.
“And I say one thing, Fiji has to be very careful (because of) the threat of contestability.
“PNG has a lot more work to offer and once connectivity is there, people will look that way as well.”
Mr Sen said he had raised this matter with former Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica last September, and who had assured the council that the matter would be discussed with deputy Prime Mnister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka.
Since Mr Kamikamica has stepped down from his ministerial position, he said “when we are up in Fiji (for the joint Fiji new Zealand Business Council-New Zealand Fiji Business Council conference), we will be certainly advocating for these flights to be reinstated”.
“It is necessary because the contestability is there. The threat of contestability exists while we are in our sleeps.
“And if people can fly directly to PNG, they will go there because of the first-mover advantage that they can take, so we need to have those direct flights to Suva reinstated.”
Mr Sen said if Fiji’s national airline cold not provide this service with the available aircraft, suggested to open it up to other airlines like Qantas, Air NZ and Virgin that were already flying into Nadi.
