Nadi International Airport (NAN) plays an important role in keeping not just Fiji itself but, indeed, all of the South Pacific islands connected to both each other and the wider world. The facility handles millions of passengers a year, serving flights that range from regional island-hopping services to long-haul flights to destinations in both Asia and North America as travelers flock to this paradise in the Pacific islands.
Given the interesting range of destinations served by Nadi International Airport, it is unsurprising that the list of airlines serving the facility is also correspondingly diverse. According to current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, nine carriers are serving Nadi with scheduled passenger flights this December, but which ones, and who flies where? Let’s take a look and find out!
Fiji Airways is the dominant operator
As Fiji Airways
serves as the flag carrier of the country, it is not at all surprising to see it sit at the top of the pile when it comes to capacity at Nadi International Airport. Indeed, of the 2,532 flights, 359,190 seats, and 780,415,336 available seat miles (ASMs) scheduled to be offered from the facility this December, Fiji Airways respectively accounts for 2,066, 269,103, and 623,980,951 of these.
Proportionally, this gives the airline 81.6% of the airport’s December capacity in terms of flights, 74.9% when it comes to seats, and 80% in terms of ASMs. A quick look at the airport’s online departure board via Airports Fiji confirms this dominance, with wave after wave of flights whose numbers begin with the Fijian flag carrier’s ‘FJ’ prefix on the flight number only occasionally interrupted by other airlines.
Fiji Airways’ most frequently served route from Nadi this December is also its shortest, and comes in the form of the 76-mile (122.3 km) hop to Nausori International (SUV). This facility serves the Fijian capital of Suva, with Fiji Airways combining with Fiji Link to offer 227 outbound and 226 inbound flights on the route this month. Its top international destination is Sydney, with 72 rotations.
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock
At the other end of the distance spectrum, Fiji Airways’ longest flights serve a range of North American destinations, primarily using its 334-seat Airbus
A350-900s which, according to aeroLOPA, have a two-class configuration. Most notably on this front, the airline recently commenced operations on its longest route to Dallas Forth Worth (DFW), which is situated some 6,625 miles (10,662 km) away.
Only one other carrier with more than 100 flights
Following Fiji Airways, there is then a considerable step down when it comes to Nadi International Airport’s next largest operator by flight frequencies. Indeed, the airline in question is Virgin Australia, with the carrier operating just 186 flights to and from Fiji’s main airport this December. These scheduled services will offer collective totals of 32,736 seats (176 per flight) and 63,668,176 available seat miles.
As the carrier’s name suggests, the purpose of its flights to and from Nadi International is to connect Fiji’s primary air hub with the country of Australia. It serves three routes in doing so, with the 1,686-mile (2,713.4 km) hop to Brisbane Airport (BNE) in the state of Queensland being the most frequently served of these corridors. All in all, Virgin Australia will operate 41 BNE-NAN round trips this month.
Photo: Suparat Chairatprasert | Shutterstock
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) is the carrier’s next most frequently served route from Nadi this month, with 31 flights scheduled to Fiji and 30 coming back to New South Wales. This route is 1,970 miles (3,170.4 km) long, putting it between the Brisbane route and the 2,403-mile (3,867.3 km) jaunt to Melbourne Airport (MEL). Virgin Australia will operate 22 rotations from Melbourne to Nadi this month.
A sole route for Air New Zealand
Alongside Australia, New Zealand is another key market situated within easy reach of Fiji, and, consequently, Kiwi flag carrier and Star Alliance member Air New Zealand has a considerable presence in Nadi. Cirium’s data shows that the airline has scheduled a grand total of 94 flights to and from the Fijian facility this month, with these sectors offering totals of 23,094 seats and 30,853,584 ASMs.
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
However, unlike Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand flies to Nadi from just one airport, with the facility in question being its hub at Auckland Airport (AKL). This route, on which the carrier also competes directly with Fiji Airways, will see 47 flights in each direction operated by Air New Zealand this month, with these 94 combined flights being split between four different aircraft types. The planes involved are:
-
Boeing
787-9: 50 flights.
- Airbus A321neo: 32 flights.
- Airbus A320neo: 30 flights.
- Boeing 777-300ER: 2 flights.
Qantas and friends
Not far behind its neighbor from New Zealand, Australian flag carrier and oneworld member Qantas also operates direct non-stop flights to Fiji’s Nadi International Airport. In a similar vein, just one route is served, with Qantas’ presence in Nadi this December amounting to 62 flights, 10,788 seats, and 21,252,360 available seat miles. This equates to a daily round trip on one of its 174-seat Boeing 737-800s.
Photo: Vidit Luthra | Shutterstock
The sole route served in this manner by Qantas terminates at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, and thus sees it face off head-to-head with Virgin Australia. Meanwhile, Qantas’ silver and orange liveried low-cost subsidiary Jetstar is scheduled to operate 54 flights to and from Nadi this month. Despite flying fewer sectors than Qantas, it will offer more seats and ASMs, with 12,528 and 27,292,016.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Jetstar’s presence at Nadi International is divided almost evenly between its 14 flights each way between the facility and Sydney, and 13 round trips to and from Melbourne Airport. The airline’s higher capacity in terms of seats and available seat miles despite operating fewer flights than parent company Qantas is down to its use of the larger Airbus A321neo, with these jets seating 232 passengers.
Aircalin’s A320neos
Next on the list, we have New Caledonian flag carrier Aircalin, which has scheduled 35 flights to and from Nadi International Airport this December. These passenger services will offer collective totals of 5,880 seats and 6,599,880 available seat miles, with all 35 of the flights making use of the airline’s Airbus A320neo narrowbody twinjets. According to Aircalin, these have 168 seats across two classes.
Despite operating relatively few flights to and from Nadi this month, the New Caledonian flag carrier is serving more destinations than some of the carriers with greater frequencies. All in all, Aircalin will operate three Nadi-bound routes this December, with the destination of the most frequently served of these being its hub at La Tontouta International Airport (NOU), which serves the capital city of Nouméa.
This corridor, which is 787 miles (1,266.55 km) in length, will see nine flights to Nadi and eight back to Nouméa this December. Meanwhile, Faaʻa International (PPT) in Papeete, Tahiti, is scheduled to be served by five round trips to and from Nadi by Aircalin’s Airbus A320neos this month. The carrier’s third and final route to Nadi starts at Hihifo Airport (WLS) in Wallis and Futuna, with four round trips.
Nauru Airlines is next
Elsewhere in the Pacific Islands, Nauru International Airport (NIU) provides vital air connectivity to the eponymous Republic of Nauru. For Nadi International Airport, its connections to this facility come in the form of non-stop direct flights operated by flag carrier Nauru Airlines, which deploys the Boeing 737-300 on the route from Nauru to Nadi. These services have an average of 132 seats onboard them.
Cirium’s data shows that Nauru Airlines will operate 17 flights to and from Nadi International Airport this month, offering grand totals of 2,244 seats and 3,103,452 available seat miles. The frequency figure is split between eight out to Nadi and nine coming back to Nauru, with flights operating towards the end of the week.
The best of the rest
The remaining two airlines serving Nadi International this December are operating just nine flights apiece, and, while minimal, their respective presences still play a key role in keeping the islands of the South Pacific Ocean connected. Air Niugini has the edge in terms of overall capacity, as its nine flights offer 1,521 seats and 1,978,821 available seat miles compared to Solomon Airlines’ 1,296 and 1,686,096.
This month, Air Niugini will use its 169-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft to directly connect Nadi International Airport with Honiara (HIR) in a non-stop manner. These flights will operate on a weekly basis, with the Nadi-bound services operating every Tuesday. After arriving at 18:00 local time, the aircraft involved stay on the ground in Nadi overnight before returning to Honiara at 08:30 on Wednesday.
Honiara is located in the Solomon Islands, and is also served by Solomon Airlines from Nadi International Airport this month. The carrier is deploying 144-seat twin-engine Airbus A320 narrowbodies on this corridor in December, covering the 1,301 miles (2,093.76 km) in three hours and five minutes. These services also operate on a weekly basis, flying out to Nadi on Saturday and returning on Sunday.