Monday 30th October 2017: Fiji Airways, Fiji’s National Airline, today took delivery of its latest aircraft, a DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter from manufacturer Viking Air Ltd. The aircraft is the first of three Twin Otters the airline has purchased for its domestic subsidiary, Fiji Link, which will replace two of its existing three Series 300 aircraft.

The aircraft is a step up from the existing Series 300, with air-conditioned cabins, and refreshed interiors for increased customer comfort. Additionally, the cockpit has state of the art digital avionics systems and operating features to enhance operational reliability and an easier transition for Fiji Link pilots to progress onto the ATR fleet.

With versatility to land on various terrain, it is the aircraft of choice for Fiji Link’s domestic operations, proving well-suited to Fiji’s domestic operating environment made up of smaller airports and short airstrips.

Fiji Airways Group Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Andre Viljoen said: “We’re very pleased to welcome the newest addition to our family. We continue to make investments to modernise our fleet, increase capacity, grow our network, and provide a better customer experience.”

He added, “This is the first of three Twin Otters that we have purchased; the remaining two are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2018. Once we complete the acquisition and delivery of all three aircraft, we will have four Twin Otters- increasing by one from our current fleet of three. With more aircraft, we will be able to increase our frequencies to key domestic routes, particularly to the North, by 30%. Additionally, we plan to increase our flight frequency on our trunk route (between Nadi and Suva) to seven a day. This is another step to fulfilling our Vision of becoming the Most Desired, Most Flown, and Most Profitable Airline in the South Pacific.”

Fiji Airways’ Engineering team will paint the aircraft in the Fiji Link livery and complete the installation of all aircraft seats and interior furnishings over the next week. The aircraft will be used for training and certification flights shortly after, and is expected to enter commercial service in December.

Fiji Link also has the option to purchase a fourth brand new Series 400 Twin Otter aircraft. A decision on exercising this option will be made in 2018.