Fiji Airways has had a very good year with strong profits, the appointment of a new CEO and good growth across the network.

This is in addition to a successful charter product out of China (which will be expanded for 2016 to and Beijing as the second port) the expansion of Pacific Link and the expansion of their own fleet.

It is expecting delivery of a new aircraft, the Airbus A330-300, which is currently on the delivery line and will arrive in Fiji in December and start service in January 2016.

The airline already operates a fleet of A330-200 aircraft and their decision to remain with the A330 series is based on the experiences they have had with these aircraft.

The 300 version will bring a number of benefits to the airline in operational efficiencies and to the customers in terms of comfort, in-flight experience and service.

The new aircraft will be predominantly used on the Nadi-Los Angeles route and occasionally on the Hong Kong route.

The A330 series has proved to be a very popular aircraft with airlines and they are operating on many international routes as well as internal services for some of the larger airlines.

Airbus was the first manufacturer to introduce fly-by-wire technology and this has become very popular with pilots.

Advantage with A330

There are many cost advantages for Fiji Airways in staying with the A330 series.

There is a huge commonality of parts between the different aircraft in the series and this means that the cost of spare parts for the 300 series will be negligible, as large stocks are already held to service the earlier aircraft.

Tooling is another area where staying with the A330 series cuts costs because the same tools apply to all versions of the aircraft.

And because of the spread of the aircraft around the world, parts are readily available almost anywhere, so the cost of shipping in replacement parts and the delays that causes are minimised.

All Fiji Airways pilots and engineers are trained on the series and conversion to different types is easy as well. For the airline, the choice of the new aircraft was simple.

What it will mean

The A330-300 fills a gap in the Fiji Airways fleet. It brings a greater uplift capacity, a better operational range and has more passenger and cargo capacity.

The hull is the same width as the other aircraft in the series, but is longer.

This provides an extra 40 passenger seats, a very profitable increase on the number of passengers the earlier version can accommodate.

The seat layout is 24 business class and 289 economy class. This extra length also allows a greater cargo load, an area that the airline will have no problem filling.

The cabin also has a number of new features to make the passenger experience more comfortable.

The interior contours are gentler and more rounded, a new design air conditioning provides greater cabin sector control, new soft LED lighting has been installed throughout the cabin and the noise levels in the already quite cabin have been suppressed even further.

The cabin interior length has been increased to 50.35m with the overall fuselage width at 5.65 metres.

The aircraft has a crew rest area directly behind the flight deck. In the case of Fiji Airways, there is a flat reclining seat and a fixed seat and dining area instead of the two bunks normally fitted.

In some fit outs, there is a container that can be loaded into the cargo hold with four bunks for crew rest which is entered by a ladder from the main cabin, but this equipment is not included in the Fiji Airways aircraft.

Technical aspect

The aircraft is powered by the same engines as the earlier models, the Rolls Royce Trent 7000 and has an operational range of 6350 nautical miles (11,750 Km), an increase of 500 nautiical miles over the A330-200  aircraft currently in the fleet.

These engines are very environmentally friendly. Maintaining the same engines brings economies in parts, tools and replacement engine requirements and Fiji Airways has been very impressed with the engines in operation.

The aircraft aerodynamics have been significantly improved, bringing an increased fuel efficiency.

The takeoff weight has a significant increase to 242 tonnes and cargo capacity is 45.9 tonnes. Cargo is a very important part of Fiji Airway’s business and there is ever increasing demand.

Name of aircraft

As is traditional, the name of the aircraft will only be revealed when it arrives into Nadi on its delivery flight, scheduled for December.

It will, of course, carry the now famous Fiji Airways livery. And it will be enthusiastically welcomed by Fiji Airways, international air travelers and all the people of Fiji.