Fiji Airways to add to fleet with five new Boeing jets

Asia-Pacific airline says new aircraft will make its fleet one of the youngest in the region as it upgrades the national flag carrier with 737 MAX 8s.

Fiji Airways will add to its fleet with new Boeing passenger jets. Courtesy Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways announced on Wednesday it had ordered five new Boeing 737s – reportedly worth US$470 million – as part of a fleet upgrade programme at the Pacific nation’s flag carrier.

The airline said it would take delivery of two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft next year and three more in 2018 to replace five earlier-model 737s currently operating.

It did not reveal the cost of the deal but local media reports put the price at FJ$1 billion (Dh1.72bn).

“This is a major capital decision that had to be done correctly, so we followed a rigorous, thorough and transparent process to find the right solution,” said the chief executive Andre Viljoen.

Fiji Airways has a fleet of 15 aircraft made by a range of manufacturers, including Airbus and Boeing, and began a replacement programme in 2013.

The Fiji government, which owns a majority stake in the airline, said the new planes would give it one of the youngest fleets in the Asia-Pacific region.

“[It] means not only lower operating costs and a smaller carbon footprint but a level of comfort and service for the travelling public,” said the civil aviation minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

He said under the deal, Boeing would help Fiji Airlines to establish a flight simulator school, making the country an aviation training hub in the Pacific.

* AFP

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