National carrier Fiji Airways has no plans to introduce a fuel surcharge at this time to respond to the interim surcharge approved and implemented by Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission early this week.
While the airline noted fare adjustments being normal part of how airlines responded to changing costs, it had no plans to hike charges this time around.
Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Paul Scurrah said Fiji’s tourism industry depended on affordable air access “and that responsibility is not lost on us”.
“We will do everything we can to remain as competitive and accessible as possible,” Mr Scurrah told this newspaper in an email interview.
He said at present, their immediate focus was on completing a thorough assessment of the financial impact across their business.
He added they would continue to engage closely with the Government, tourism partners and industry stakeholders throughout the process.
“Fiji Airways is committed to playing its part in protecting the connectivity, jobs and economic opportunities that matters most to Fiji and the Pacific.
“We are in this together and we will navigate it together.”
Meanwhile, Mr Scurrah said the airline had also been transparent about recent network changes in response to rising costs.
One of eight weekly Brisbane flights was temporarily suspended earlier this year.
The Nadi-Dallas route will be suspended from September 7, while it is upgrading Vancouver services and increasing Hong Kong frequencies from September 22.
Mr Scurrah said those decisions reflected a challenging environment where jet fuel prices had more than doubled since the start of the year.
“They are not taken lightly. However, we are committed to working closely with the Government and all relevant stakeholders to keep any further route adjustments to a bare minimum.
“Forward bookings remain encouraging, particularly from Australia and New Zealand, and the launch of our new Gold Coast service on June 11 is a strong signal of our confidence in Fiji’s future,” he said.
