General News
10 December, 2024
One stop, then the USA
A FRESH link to the Pacific and the quickest way to the USA from Cairns will take off with Fiji Airways operating tri-weekly flights from the city’s airport from April next year.
The new direct flight Cairns–Nadi by Fiji Airways will be the first direct route from the Far North to the Pacific Island nation, three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in a state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX 8.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland regards it as a key step towards the full recovery of the North American market – the region’s second largest – which currently sits at 74 per cent of pre-COVID figures.
The new flights could position Cairns as the first port of arrival for North American travellers.
“This new service is an absolute game-changer to increase our recovery out of North America,” said TTNQ’s marketing general manager Lani Cooper.
“The US is currently our second largest international market and has recovered by more than 73 per cent with 83,000 visitors and (with) North America collectively brought in 101,000 visitors in the past financial year. The Fiji Airways service is going to speed that up,” she said.
“It’s only 16 hours door to door, from Cairns to LA, which is huge.
“This new service allows opportunities for the tourism industry to grow and leverage off the North American market coming in, extend length of stay and showcase breadth of experiences within the region.
“With the 53,000 additional visitors that this service will bring into the region, we can see that that’s going to inject more than $160 million to the region’s economy per year, which is fantastic.”
Cairns Airport chief executive Richard Barker said the commitment from Fiji Airways was initially for three years, but it was hoped it would be extended if successful.
“It’s a year-round service, three days a week, which is a great vote of confidence from Fiji Airways to start strong,” he said.
“We look to establish these services as a three-year deal but the first year is the test, we’ve got to prove out the loads, we’re very confident.
“It’s a big commitment from Fiji Airways and it shows that they’re confident in the North American strategy but also in the appeal of the spectacular Fiji.”
Introductory fares start from $539 return to Nadi, Fiji.
“With this new service, we’re making travel faster and easier for Australians in the Far North region who can now be in Fiji in around four hours,” said regional general manager for Australia and the Pacific Islands Fiji Airways John Nickel.
“The flight schedule also allows Far North Queenslanders to easily connect to our growing network and international destinations such as Dallas Fort Worth – commencing December, 20 days away – Los Angeles and San Francisco via a quick stopover in Fiji,” he said.
“We know that Cairns has long been a dream destination for holiday makers, and with these new direct connections from Fiji, we expect the surge.”
Airline chief executive André Viljoen said the Cairns service was a further step in its network expansion, providing more travel options and enhanced connectivity for their customers. The flight schedule also allows Far North Queenslanders to easily connect to our growing network and international destinations such as Dallas Fort Worth – commencing December, 20 days away – Los Angeles and San Francisco via a quick stopover in Fiji,” he said.
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