From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 14, no. 4, December 1999.

Air Fiji has launched an ambitious plan in an effort to capture more regional destinations.

Currently serving Tuvalu and Tonga since it started flying regional in September, Fiji’s domestic carrier wants to add five more possible regional destinations in the New Year. They are: Kiribati, Niue, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Wallis and Futuna.

Manager Regional Services Arthur Whippy said that the airline had already started negotiations with Kiribati and Niue. “We hope to start flying there early in the New Year using our Embraer Brasilia,” he said.

The fast 30-seater aircraft, the airline’s most recent acquisition, currently operates from Suva’s Nausori Airport, on a three times-a-week service to Nuku’alofa’s Fua’amotu Airport, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and to Funafuti in Tuvalu four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Mr Whippy said the negotiations were almost complete with Kiribati and the airline was confident it would be given the go ahead. “If everything goes according to plan, we should be flying there in February.”

Tonga – Niue

He said that negotiations had just begun with Niue, and the airline was optimistic it could “pull this off”. And again if everything went according to plan, Air Fiji hoped to start operating a Nausori–Tonga–Niue service also in February.

Mr Whippy said the airline hoped to start negotiations with the various authorities in Vanuatu, Samoa, and Wallis and Futuna in the new year.

“We’re looking at these destinations seriously. If we pull these routes, we’ll definitely be looking at acquiring another aircraft to service these destinations,” he said.

Air Fiji plans to operate frequent trips to regional destinations with a small, fast, comfortable prop-jet. With 20 to 30 passengers it can make money in circumstances which for the bigger jets would be unprofitable. (PINA Nius Online).