Fiji Airways, Fiji’s national airline, and Pacific Sun, its regional and domestic subsidiary, reported their on-time performance (OTP) results for December 2013.
Fiji Airways reported a consistent OTP compared to the previous month (November).
This reflects the predicted slight seasonal dip in the cyclone season, while Pacific Sun again delivered sterling OTP results for the month.
Fiji Airways reported an on-time performance of 78 per cent for December, compared to 77.5 per cent for November, and 88.3 per cent in October.
A hydraulic leak and a bird strike affected two aircraft in late December, along with weather restrictions which caused delays on some consequent services.
Pacific Sun reported an outstanding on-time performance of 93.5 per cent for December, compared to 88 per cent in November, and 93.4 per cent in October.
Delays
Stefan Pichler, Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive said: “Most of the delay causes in December were due to mechanical issues out of our control, and our maintenance and engineering team worked hard over the holidays to keep those delays to a minimum.
“While we of course try to minimise delays in the holiday season, our position on safety is never compromised. I personally apologise to our customers affected by any disruptions to their travel plans in December. Our focus on operational excellence will continue this New Year.”
“At the same time, I would like to congratulate our subsidiary Pacific Sun for a great December OTP. The Pacific Sun team do an excellent job and had a great month operationally.
“They are in for a big year, with the arrival of a brand new ATR 72 aircraft to their fleet and their brand change to ‘FIJI LINK’ by mid-year.”
About OTP
OTP is a global airline industry benchmark which measures aircraft flight departures as being on time if they depart from the gate within 15 minutes of the airline’s scheduled departure time.
Most airlines worldwide regard OTP at or above 80 per cent as exceptional.
— FIJI AIRWAYS