Mr Rabuka officiated at the arrival of the new A350 Island of Beqa yesterday at the Fiji Airways hangar with Government Ministers and other key stakeholders in attendance.
Mr Rabuka said he was grateful to be chief guest at this welcoming ceremony for the A350 Island Beqa that marked a critical step in the most ambitious expansion in the history of the airline,Fiji Airways
“The aircraft offers 334 passengers unparalleled comfort and convenience, fuel burn and CO2 emmisions are reduced by 25 per cent per seat. Nitrogen oxide emissions are lower and its the quietest aircraft in its class.
“Two weeks ago I was criticised for making an announcement about something that Japan is doing and every body felt threatened,” Mr Rabuka said.
Mr Rabuka said he was only basing it on science.
“And today you also witness the effect of science and technology latest in the delivery of our aircraft.”
Fiji Airways took delivery of its newest Airbus A350-900XWB (A350) as part of a journey to modernise the national carrier’s fleet.
Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Andre Viljoen says one of the airline’s 5 ‘Game Changer’ Strategies the National Airline has relentlessly pursued since 2017, has been the modernization of their aircraft with ‘new generation’ aircraft such as the Airbus A350.
“The A350 with its superior cabin, significant fuel savings and substantial cargo capacity has fast become the pride of our airline and the joy of our passengers.
“The Island of Beqa is brand new having been put into storage immediately after manufacturing. We were able to negotiate a lucrative deal to acquire it.
“It combines the very latest aerodynamics, new generation engines and use of lightweight materials, to bring a 25 per cent advantage in fuel burn, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and operating costs compared to previous generation aircraft.”
Mr Viljoen said the airline is now in a stronger position to explore new destinations.
Crucial in long term
“Fiji Airways brings in 70 per cent of all visitors to Fiji.
“We are crucial to the long term sustainable growth of the tourism industry which is 45 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product and the largest employer in the country.
“As the National Airline we recognize our role is not just to be the bridge to and from the world but to support the growth of tourism, one of the ways we can do this is by introducing new destinations with potential for high tourism opportunities.”
These modern, state-of-the-art aircraft also enable us to explore new destinations much further than our current network.
For example, the A350 XWBs are capable of flying much deeper into the United States or Canada.
Some possibilities we are continually exploring for the future include Dallas, Seattle, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and also Noumea, Wallis, Rarotonga, Port Moresby and several additional destinations in Australia.
The Island of Beqa will add more capacity to our leading source markets of Australia and New Zealand, North American long haul flights to San Francisco and Vancouver, as well as Hong Kong which is our current gateway to China.
It is understood that another A350 aircraft is scheduled to arrive next week.
Story By: Maraia Vula
Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj