Fiji Link yesterday welcomed the second of its new modern VIKING DHC-6 Series 400, Twin Otters that would service the domestic routes.

Fiji Airways Chief Financial Officer Nick Caine also confirmed that a third VIKING DHC-6 Series 400 would join the fleet next month.

The second aircraft had  brought in from Calgary in Canada by Captain Diana Speers and First Officer Adrianna Cessard.

“As you know, we’re an airline that values every single addition to our fleet; from the biggest to the smallest,” Mr Caine said.

“We value the contribution of each aircraft across both fleets to our network.”

“The Twin Otters allow Fiji Link and Fiji Airways to bring guests from around the world to some of Fiji’s most renowned destinations.”

“They allow us to connect Fijians to their homes in some of our most outlying islands, in partnership with the Fijian Government.”

Mr Caine said it was crucial for the Fiji Airways Group to have aircraft with the versatility to land on various terrains.

“I’d like to reiterate that the Twin Otter is the aircraft of choice for Fiji Link’s operations.

“It’s well-suited to our domestic operating environment made up of smaller airports, varying types of runaways and short airstrips.

“Our engineering team will now paint FJQ in the Fiji Link livery and complete the installation of all aircraft seats and interior furnishings over the next week.

Mr Caine said he expected the aircraft to be ready for commercial operations shortly.

“This investment in new aircraft is part of our overall fleet modernisation programme across the Fiji Airways Group.

“Once we complete the acquisition and delivery of all three brand new Twin Otters, we will have four in the Fiji Link fleet, to complement the three ATRs.

“A bigger fleet will allow us to increase capacity, grow our network, and provide a better customer experience with state of the art, modern aircraft flying the Fijian skies.

“With more aircraft, we will be able to increase our frequencies to key domestic routes, particularly to the North, by 30 per cent. Additionally, we plan to increase our flight frequency on our trunk route, between Nadi and Suva, to seven a day.”

Mr Caine said these developments led to one goal and one vision – To Be The Most Desired, Most Flown, and Most Profitable Airline in the South Pacific.

“Fiji Link already has an outstanding on-time performance, with an average monthly result of 88.8 per cent in 2017.

“On Time Performance, as you know is the percentage measure of flights that departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

“Any OTP over 80 per cent is considered in the industry as excellent.

“Comparatively, Fiji Link’s 88.8 per cent ranks higher than most other airlines that operate a domestic schedule in the region.

“This OTP will be further boosted by a modern Twin Otter fleet at Fiji Link, which is great news for our customers.”

Captain Speers said it took 40 hours to bring the aircraft to Fiji from Calgary with stopovers in Santa Maria in California.

“From there we waited for the winds to cooperate, then from Santa Maria to Honolulu in Hawaii then to the Marshall Islands on to Nadi.

“I love this aircraft because I have been flying it for many years,”

Captain Speers said. She said the aircraft was built for rugged places.

Feedback:  charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj