Hofmann's recommendations

The flagship airline of the South Seas

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Fiji Airways CEO Andre Viljoen spoke to Connoisseur Circle correspondent Kurt Hofmann in Sydney about the exciting development of the South Pacific-based airline.

Fiji Airways is now a member of the Oneworld alliance as a "Connect" partner. What does this mean for your airline?
ANDRE VILJOEN: That we are now on the global map of alliances. We are a small airline, many guests want to come to us but don't know how. This will now be easier with our code-share partners, be it via Hong Kong, Los Angeles, etc. This opens up many new destinations! Already today, 30 percent of our passengers use the Nadi hub to transfer.

What does the growth of Fiji Airways look like?
We have grown 20 percent annually in the last two years, now 13 percent. That is a lot. We are planning at least one new destination per year. That was Adelaide, now Tokyo. China may be next. But before that, we want to switch Hong Kong from five flights a week to daily flights. Further growth should be eight percent per year. To achieve this, we need an additional wide-body aircraft every two years. Our cost structure was completely different four years ago. But with the efficient Airbus A330s and the restructuring, we are competitive. Fiji Airways has a very good team of local and international staff. Customer service has been developed enormously. The government also supports us because it has recognized that 40 percent of GDP comes from tourism and an airline is strategically necessary for the country. However, we are not subsidized.

How satisfied are you with the Airbus fleet?
We are currently challenging Boeing and Airbus to make us an offer for eight long-haul aircraft. Our A330s are very young and we are also getting a sixth in December. Our last two A330s are short-time leases, which gives us flexibility for future orders. We are now looking at the Boeing 787, A330neo or A350 for delivery in 2020/2021, as an addition or replacement. From today's perspective, the A350 would be too big for us, but in three years' time it may no longer be. So, if Boeing or Airbus want to remain our customers, they have to come up with a solution. We will decide in September. In December, the first of five Boeing 737 MAXs will come to us. We plan to expand the fleet from the current 18 to 32 aircraft within ten years.

Ethiopian Airlines invests in airlines in Africa or supports them in their development. An issue for Fiji Airways with smaller airlines in the South Pacific?
That is a model we are looking at. But we are doing it step by step. Tonga etc., these are countries where we believe we can help with assistance. We have also been approached to participate or to help with joint ventures. We are the airline of the South Pacific, for many countries we are often the only connection. Many countries see Fiji Airways as the model that inspires them.

If Fiji Airways is growing like this, what about human resources?
We are currently building a flight academy in Nadi with up to three flight simulators, including a Boeing 737 MAX and an Airbus A330 simulator and one more depending on the outcome of our fleet campaign. We can then upgrade our flight cadets and our own pilots more quickly in seniority. Our government has allowed Fiji Airways to make a huge investment in this regard. The academy is scheduled to go into operation in July 2019. In terms of maintenance, we do everything up to the C-check.