Fiji Airways Remains Tuvalu's Only Airline Service

Fiji Airways is the sole carrier serving the tiny South Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu.

Formerly known as the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

It comprises three reef islands and six atolls west of the International Date Line.

The second-least populous country behind the Vatican, Tuvalu has a total land area of just 10 square miles and a permanent population of 10,600 people.

The regional arm of Fiji Airways, Fiji Link, deploys its ATR 72-600 between Fiji and Tuvalu and operates the service thrice weekly from Suva.

The journey takes just two hours.

On arrival back to Suva, the airline provides multiple feeder flights to transport passengers onto Nadi Airport before re-connecting them to the wider Fiji Airways network. FJ’s schedule to Tuvalu is noted below:

Funafuti International Airport (FUN) is unique, given the limited space on the island.

When flights are unexpected, the runway is used for sports and social activities.

A siren sounds when a plane is about to land, warning locals to stay clear of the 5000-foot paved runway.

Historically, the small nation’s airport welcomed two other international airlines: Air Marshall Islands operated a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 until 1999, and Air Kiribati operated a once-weekly service onboard its Bombardier Dash 8 100 until September 2021.

Source: Simple Flying