“Vote of Thanks speech delivered by Fiji Airways outgoing chairman, Nalin Patel, during the arrival of Fiji Airways new Airbus A330-300 yesterday”

His Excellency the President, Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konrote

Her Excellency The First Lady, Sarote Konrote

Our Prime Minister, REAR ADMIRAL (Ret’d), Honourable Josaia   Voreqe Bainimarama and Mrs. Bainimarama

Honourable Ministers, Madam Speaker, Members of Parliament and Permanent Secretaries.

To all Dignitaries, Excellencies, Members of the Fiji Tourism Industry.

The Directors, Executives and members of Fiji Airways

It is my pleasure to offer a Vote of Thanks today.

As mentioned it is indeed an auspicious occasion for Fiji Airways.

I start with thanking His Excellency, on behalf of all of us present here.

Not just for the fact that he so kindly agreed to be our Chief Guest for this occasion and First Official Guest on Board, the new A330 aircraft, Island of Rotuma.

Sir, we appreciate your words of encouragement.

It is heartening to see your support for the National Carrier.

All Fijians will be buoyed by this.

Vinaka Vakalevu, Sir.

Please accept our sincere gratitude for everything you have done for us today.

Dear guests, as His Excellency has stated, your National Airline is in a strong position.

It is ready for the present and the future.

But it needs your continued support to sustain this, and to keep on growing.

Please FLY FIJI whenever you can, and encourage your friends and families to do the same.

To the Honourable Prime Minister, Sir, we thank you and the Honourable Attorney General for your unwavering support and guidance to the Airlines.

We are indebted to the Fijian Government in its acknowledgement of the iconic role Fiji Airways plays in the economy.

To all our stakeholders from Government who are with us today, and those who cannot be here, a big vinaka vakalevu.

To the ferry flight crew of pilots, engineers and cabin crew- we appreciate your sacrifice to be away from your families during this festive period, to deliver this aircraft to us.

This commitment, along with the commitment of the entire Fiji Airways team, is the reason we are successful today.

It is your hard work, commitment and dedication day in and day out which sees planes flying and maintained, passengers looked after, bills paid and sales going.

This has indeed resulted in Fiji Airways receiving admiration from the small airlines that we the best in the South Pacific.

For this, the Board thanks you.

To all our invited guests who have also joined us today, despite the holidays and festivities. Vinaka.

We appreciate your presence here to share in our joy.

Lastly, this is officially my last act as the outgoing Chairman.

To my fellow Board Directors past and present and to everyone in Fiji Airways, I thank you all for your friendship and support in the past 22 years, 9 years of which as Chairman.

We have faced and overcome numerous challenges and celebrated many successes: from the global factors affecting aviation, to natural disasters, acquisitions and transformations, old and new planes and just about everything in between.

It has been a long but rewarding 22-year-long flight.

And I’m happy to be present here for today’s event.

Because it represents just how unique Fiji Airways is, and why I was proud to serve on its Board for all these years.

Aircraft arrivals for Fiji have become something of a national event.

For most others, an aircraft is just an addition to the fleet.

For Fiji Airways, a new aircraft is an addition to the family.

And that family has really grown.

Not just in our fleet size of 14 across the entire Fiji Airways Group.

But also in the number of people we have been able to hire due to the expansion of our network.

And more will join the family, as we start flying to Singapore and San Francisco from 2016.

I wish the new chairman, Mr. Rajesh Punja, the Board, the Fiji Airways every success and no doubt the company will continue to grow and provide the best services.

Vinaka Vakalevu.