Preparations for the inaugural Fiji Airways direct Nadi to Singapore flight is in full swing.

The first flight to Singapore’s Changi International Airport will depart Nadi on April 5 at 11pm.

Fiji Airways is taking a group of Fijian media personnel in conjunction with Singapore Tourism Board to experience all that this great Asian hub has to offer.

On board this inaugural flight is also expected to be the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

There are still tickets remaining for the inaugural flight which means it is not sold out yet, but the excitement is a lot.

This is not just for the inaugural flight, but around the new destination as a whole. This is given that Singapore, being a hub, opens easier links to other destinations including India.

Talks are already understood to be with Air India and Jet Airways for code sharing with Fiji Airways. If all goes well, this would be a major boost for this route.

What has helped with this excitement also is the $999 special air fare as well as the Singapore 7s and led to a very good response.

Fiji Airways announced its decision to commence twice-weekly direct services from Nadi-Singapore Nadi in November the past year.

The flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays departing late night and arriving in Singapore early morning.

The flight times have been scheduled to suit onward connections to India and South East Asia.

To support the national carrier in this new endeavour to offer attractive ticketing pricing, Government offered a subsidy of $18 million in the 2016 National Budget to Fiji Airways.

Other benefits

In addition to better connectivity, manufacturers have also seen this as a great means for a variety of opportunities.

It allows manufacturers direct access into Asia for both opportunities and also sourcing many types of raw materials and technology as well.

This is not just into Singapore, but other Asian countries.

It also opens up a segment for perishable items exports where anything from seafood to flowers to other kinds of exotic seafood can be sent fresh to Asia.

Once in Singapore, it can be distributed to very high demand markets such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and other growing niche markets.

And then there is of course tourism where we can see further boost from tourists.

Feedback:  rachnal@fijisun.com.fj