Fiji Airways to increase flights to Hong Kong

SUVA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Fiji Airways will increase service from Nadi, Fiji's third largest city, to Hong Kong by August and introduce fourth-weekly flights from Oct. 1, as demand on the route has picked up swiftly.

The national airline re-started with two direct flights between Nadi and Hong Kong on April 1, with a third service from August. Currently, the flights between Nadi and Hong Kong operate every Monday and Thursday. The third service from August will add Saturday flights with Sunday services from October.

Fiji Airways' managing director and chief executive officer Andre Viljoen said on Thursday that the demand is enabling the airline to provide four flights a week from this October.

Viljoen said Hong Kong has traditionally been a strong link for Fiji Airways as the main gateway into the Chinese mainland, and they are pleased with how well this market has picked up in a short time.

Viljoen said their forward bookings for Hong Kong for the next six months are 15 percent ahead of the 2019 number. Based on this, they are confident that a fourth service will also do well.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fiji Airways had five flights a week to and from Hong Kong, and Viljoen said the airline is committed to returning to pre-pandemic levels.

He added that they recently held a roadshow in China, visiting key locations and engaging with trade and media partners, so he is confident that a fifth service is possible when the time is right.