Fiji Airports Ltd CEO Mesake Nawari has outlined the company’s ambitious 2025 plans, focusing on significant infrastructure upgrades and enhanced passenger experiences.
In an interview with The Fiji Times, Mr Nawari highlighted the company’s key initiatives, comprising the construction of a new transit hotel, a state-of-the-art commercial and retail building and expanded parking facilities.
He said technological advancements are also a priority, with the introduction of cutting-edge security measures like computerised tomography scan (CTS) technology and upgrades to passenger information systems.
These developments aim to position Fiji Airports as a leading regional hub.
“We have a new strategic plan and it’s a 10-year strategic plan, from 2025 to 2034,” Mr Nawari said.
“We have a new vision, and the vision is to be the world-class aviation hub for the Blue Pacific.
“While we’re already an aviation hub, we want to enhance our position in the Pacific for that. And we have various areas in our plan.”
Mr Nawari said moving to renewable energy, and continuing the work being done, Fiji Airports had the largest fleet of electronic vehicles.
Staff growth
Staff growth and development remained a crucial component of the company’s progress.
“We need to be working on our people, the development, and strengthening that area. The other exciting area is the areas of our stakeholder engagement.
“So that’s important as we do our projects, as we grow, we need to continue to engage with our stakeholders, the community that we operate in, all the, not just in aviation, but stakeholders in the tourism industry.”
Nadi Airport Airside Master Plan
Mr Nawari said the Nadi Airport Master Plan was quite an ambitious one and in the first five years, or 10 years, a lot of investments would be required to carry out developments delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So it’d be about around more than $1billion.
“We are still working through the actual cost, but it’s definitely going to be more than $1billion.
“While working on the infrastructure, you would have seen the many tenders that we’ve been putting out in the papers, that’s the start of a lot of groundwork to happen.”
Mr Nawari said these small works would commence in the next few weeks.
“We can move now since we have the off gate that’s been completed, the gates that were being built next to the Fiji Airways hangar.
“It took some time to complete that, so we need parking spaces for aircraft, that’s the biggest challenge we have, is working in an operating airport, the flights will not stop, it’ll continue, but people will keep coming in and out.”
The terminal building will be expanded which includes the arrivals area, the transit area to cater for the influx of transiting passengers.
“Thanks to Fiji Airways, they’ve looked at a market that they now have developed, and they’ve been quite competitive in terms of their pricing.”
Nadi airport is proving to be a good transit hub
“You come from one side of the world to the other side, you don’t have to walk for long like other airports, quite developed airports in the world and at the same time, the point-to-point connection.
“One to two hours to connect, coming from the North, coming from America and to the South, to Australia.
“For instance, just after 10 hours of flight, you connect within an hour or two hours, and then you go on then for another three, four hours.”
While this is working well, Mr Nawari said the Nadi International Airport was not built for transit. There was however, an opportunity for growth.
Development of the departure site back end
Mr Nawari said this was an area which had a lot of logistics involved, therefore underscoring the need to improve and expand the space.
“When you put your bags through, it goes on to that belt, and to the back it gets sorted, which flight you go to.
“You go in the morning, there are a number of flights checking in and then you’ve got the transit bags coming from the plane, so it’s sorted out.
Expansion of parking area
The parking area will be expanded, and new aerobridges will be added.
Mr Nawari said it took at least seven months to manufacture one aerobridge.
“So, we’re replacing these aerobridges that are quite old, but we are very glad that we are now going to replace them.
“We should put up the first one (aerobridge) by February, and then replace about six of them as we do.”
This will be scheduled according to all the construction work that will happen around the airport.
Development of master plan for Nadi International Airport land side
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports Ltd had engaged a consultant to do the master plan for the land side of the airport.
“This is where the Fiji Airports land, where the quarters are and then on the other side of the runway, which is referred to as New Town, opposite Crown Plaza.
This master plan also includes Nausori airport.
Mr Nawari said there is a plan being developed for the Nausori airport airside.
“For Nausori, and we are using that to work out a plan, to start with what we can do with our funding, and what’s the immediate need, which is really the domestic side of Nausori airport, and then to international.”
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports had also announced plans for upgrade works in Nausori this year.
“We’ve started with a consultant to look at the design work in Nausori, again, operating airport, old airport, with those challenges, but a great opportunity to start.
“The works in Labasa is funded by Fiji Airports. We have not started the work funded by the World Bank, that’s different. That’s under Na Vualiku Tourism Development program.”
Mr Nawari said the company was in the process of recruiting a project manager for the World Bank project.
“Let me make that clear, we’ve already got the project manager for the entire Na Vualiku Tourism Development project. That’s under the Ministry of Tourism because it’s a funding through the government to the ministry, but we are one of the implementing agencies.”
The implementing agency is Fiji Airports and Fiji Roads Authority.
“Fiji Airports, as an implementing agency, so we require a project manager to do that. So, we have to go and look for a project manager to recruit, to run that.”
Mr Nawari said it did not have enough project managers, considering the numerous projects undertaken at the Nadi and Nausori airports.Transit hotel development
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports was also looking at the transit hotel and commercial and retail space.
“This is just in front of the arrivals, we’ve got the car park area there and then there is an empty space next to it, more towards the main roadside.
“So, there’s an opportunity that we’re looking at there, and we had tendered out last year for a hotel operator.”
Mr Nawari said the company was in the second stage of the tender evaluation to select the hotel operator, which will likely be a brand name.
Discussions regarding the specifications of the hotel and the brand will be done later.
“I’m hoping that people will say, 10 hours is a bit long, we’ll take one day or even 12 hours break and then go on to our next flight.
“So, they’re able to taste a piece of Fiji or at least Nadi when they stay at the transit hotel.
“Their holiday starts as they get off the flight, they’re walking rather than taking a taxi. So, to me, that’s indicating this potential for a transit hotel.”
This would also mean the establishment of services such as restaurants and retail outlets near the transit hotel.
Construction of operation centre
Mr Nawari said there was an increased demand from businesses to establish offices at the airport, however, there was a shortage of space.
“So, bringing everybody together, not just Fiji airport staff, like aviation security, the airport’s management, our aviation security contractor, Wormald, bringing Immigration, Biosecurity, FRCS basically those that all work at the airport under one roof.”
This operations centre is earmarked to be built where the old post office building is located.
“The cargo building will move, we have acquired a land along Nasoso Rd, opposite Grace Road.
“That gives us access into another fenced off area where we will build a cargo terminal there, a cargo building, and then potential for those that are associated with that kind of business to lease or build around there.”
This is all included in the master plan.
Extension of car park
Three to four levels of car parking space will also be constructed to cater for the increased traffic and ensuring that there’s proper flow at the airport.
Contactless passenger customer service
Fiji Airports is transitioning into a more contactless system.
“So, you just scan your passport and your boarding pass and then biometrics using the eyes and then clear and move on.”
This Fiji Airports system needs to be connected from check-in right to Immigration and then the international systems.
“A high number of our visitors are Australians and in Australia they experience this, so they will expect to experience that when they go through our airport.
“This would also reduce the queuing, leaving ample space in the airport.
“You will begin to see close to the end of this year the preparation for more self-check-in.
“So, like international airports now, check-in and automatic bag drop, you do your own tag, you put it through, that’s probably it and then you go through, it’s all scanned.”
Improvement of premium customer services
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports anticipated Fiji Airways’ plans to improve their premium customer services.
“If you go to Auckland, for instance, premium customers go into a separate section, they do their own check-in, going on to Auckland Airport, you go up the lift, then straight into express.
“So, I don’t know how Fiji Airways is going to do it, but I know they have plans to be able to do that.
“They’re expanding, we are doing it for them, the Tabua Lounge but to get there, there’s some painful steps to take through.”
Mr Nawari said a reduction in size was expected.
“There’s a VIP lounge for government in there, Air New Zealand lounge is there, so there will be some give and take in the short term.
“But to get into bigger departures and then with arrivals, expanding the arrivals, putting in an additional belt, so currently we have three there, so more belts in there.”
Computerised tomography scan (CTS) set up
Mr Nawari said the Immigration Department may be relocated in the airport to make space for the new computerised tomography scan machine.
“Right now, you just walk through but those CT scanners, if you look closely, the scanning machine itself it’s bigger than the current one, so it requires bigger space.”
More gates
Fiji Airports also plans to include an additional 12 gates.
“The more gates that we’ll put in, and then we are going to be starting the works on the apron for the new domestic airport.”
This means the Nadi domestic airport will shift a little bit towards the current cargo building.
“Likewise in terms of arrivals, Immigration and how it flows straight through to picking up your bags and then going out. So that’s on the passenger experience.”
Climate resilient infrastructure development
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports was also working towards constructing more climate resilient infrastructure.
“It’s interesting that we’re learning, for example, from the Japanese.
“What have they done, they face sometimes, earthquakes and tsunamis.
“How do we manage flooding, you know, potential flooding with developments all happening around the airport, it will happen. It’s everywhere in the world.
Use of renewable energy and reducing reliance on non-renewable energy
Fiji Airports is building its solar farm as part of the project and designers are working on this.
“We expect to learn more mid of next year, or this year, if we have to go in. It’s (tenders) already out for the designers to design the concept design.”
Mr Nawari said contractors would now need to inspect the concept design and map out the implementation.
“That’s a solar farm and being able to see how we connect it to the grid, which will mean discussions with EFL and FCCC, the regulatory requirements.”
Fire safety
In addition, Fiji Airports has made investments on new fire trucks last year.
“So it’s been delivered, each truck is almost $2million and the aerobridge that I talked about is about $2million, and so that’s the kind of investment that we make.
“We own Nadi airport, but we manage Nausori and the others on behalf of government. When Fiji Airports was formed in 1999 all the rest remained with government, and Fiji Airports was asked to manage it.”
Mr Nawari said while Fiji Airports needed to also consider the kind of investment that’s required for Nadi before looking at owning the other airports.
“We don’t receive any funding for looking after Nausori and the other outer islands, but we are expected to deliver their results.
“So fortunately, we make profits and we’re able to do that, but it’s reached a time that we can’t do a lot more of that, because we have projects in Nadi to do.”
The partnership between government and Fiji Airports in terms of their share of profits to fund part of capital upgrades at these airports helps address this.
Stakeholder and community engagement
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports invited the chiefs of Nadi to visit the airport last year.
“Most of them, it’s the first time to get into the airside. It’s unfortunate, but it was the first time.
“It was great to have them there and feel that their resource, that they have given to Fiji Airports and to the government initially, has been utilised well and developed in a way that they will not be seen anywhere else in Fiji.”
Mr Nawari said Fiji Airports has extensively consulted and would continue to consult with stakeholders in terms of sharing information to cultivate partnerships that would support the development for Nadi, the Western Division and Fiji.
“We are in the process now, listing down, what do we need to talk to the Fiji Roads Authority about? What do we need to talk to Water Authority about? EFL? What do we need to talk to the Ministry of Environment and Waterways.
“It’s the whole of Fiji approach, and stakeholder community engagement for us is critical.”
