National airline carrier Fiji Airways will suspend its newest major North American Nadi-Dallas Fort Worth service in the next five months – as it makes targeted network adjustments in response to rising fuel costs and evolving market conditions.
The airline has confirmed the suspension of this service will come into effect on September 7 later this year.
The majority of impacted guests can travel on the same day via alternative arrangements connecting through our daily services via Los Angeles or via the airline’s San Francisco and Vancouver services.
The national airline has indicated it will continue to service the United States with up to 11 flights a week through its Los Angeles and San Francisco gateways, as well as offering onward connections across the US mainland gateways, including Dallas Fort Worth through its partnership with American Airlines.
Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Paul Scurrah said those changes allowed the airline to focus on markets where they were seeing the strongest and most sustainable demand.
“This includes the upgauge of our three weekly Vancouver services from the A330 to our flagship A350 aircraft effective September 8, as well as increasing Hong Kong frequencies to up to four flights per week year-round from September 22,” Mr Scurrah said in a statement yesterday.
“At the same time, we remain committed to maintaining global connectivity for our customers.”
While global aviation continued to face significant cost pressures, particularly with jet fuel prices more than doubling since the start of the year, he said the airline was seeing resilient demand, especially from key markets including Australia and New Zealand.
“Given Fiji has just hit an all-time visitor record for March, we know Fiji remains an attractive and accessible destination.
“Our forward bookings continue to be encouraging and reflect a level of increased interest in Fiji as a safe and family friendly destination.
“Our priority is to maintain reliable services, manage costs responsibly and ensure confidence in travel to Fiji remains strong.”
Mr Scurrah said the airline was actively implementing targeted cost management initiatives across the business, while working closely with industry partners and the Government to support stability and connectivity.
He said the airline continued to see strong demand across its key markets and remained focused on maintaining global connectivity, and added they would continue to monitor global developments closely and take a disciplined approach to ensure long-term sustainability.
Mr Scurrah said they had taken all necessary measures to ensure minimum impact of the planned suspension on customers, and that they were being contacted directly with updated travel details expected to be finalised in the near future.
