By RACHNA LAL
Pacific Sun’s new 68-seater ATR 72-600 is now under production at the ATR factory in France.
This has been confirmed by Pacific Sun general manager, Shaenaz Voss, who said the leasing of the aircraft was progressing well.
Mrs Voss said everything was on schedule with the delivery of this new addition to their fleet expected to be in May next year.
The new ATR 72-600 aircraft is being leased by Pacific Sun to add to its fleet of two ATR 42-500 and three DHC Havilland Twin Otter aircraft.
Pacific Sun has signed a formal Letter of Intent (LOI) for this leased aircraft with Singapore-based aircraft leasing company Avation PLC.
The aircraft would be acquired on an operating lease for 12 years and funded without the need for any external financing.
Pacific Sun intends to use the new aircraft on its domestic and regional (Pacific Islands) routes, which it operates on behalf of Fiji Airways.
Benefits of new aircraft
Mrs Voss said reason they had gone ahead with this 68-seater aircraft was to make it more comfortable for passengers and providing more leg room.
“It gives us the opportunity to provide more seats for connectivity for Nadi-Suva and Suva-Nadi,” she said.
“And it also gives us the opportunity for the regional flights as well out of Suva and Nadi. And to increase frequency as this is where we are also seeing demand.”
In terms of the interior, Mrs Voss said they were quite excited as Pacific Sun would be able to choose what they want inside the aircraft in terms of soft touches to the interior.
Rebranding options
Following the recent rebranding of its parent company, Fiji Airways, Mrs Voss sees an opportunity for Pacific Sun to do the same.
“Fiji Airways has already gone through a name change and there is an opportunity for Pacific Sun to do the same,” she said.
“But there is a lot of work underway right now and it is still work in progress.”
“And hopefully, by the time we get delivery of the new aircraft, we may be ready to undergo more changes.”
ATR 72-600 ... Boost for travel between larger domestic ports.