Fiji Airways will start flying direct to Tokyo, Japan from the 3rd of July next year and the airline company has also announced that it will get it’s fifth A330-200 wide-body aircraft to cater for this new service.

While making the major announcement in Denarau today, Fiji Airways CEO and Managing Director, Andre Viljoen says they will fly three times a week from Nadi to Narita on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The flights from Japan to Nadi will arrive at about 9am and is designed to ensure that the tourists from Japan can get connecting FijiLink flights from Nadi to destinations like Savusavu and Taveuni, and boat transfers to the Mamanucas and Yasawa Islands.

Viljoen says Tokyo will be the fifth long-haul destination for Fiji Airways after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Singapore. He says this is an outstanding achievement for Fiji Airways.

Viljoen says Fiji also wants to capitalise on the high interest in outbound travel from Japan, with an estimated 13.4 million Japanese residents travelling overseas so far this year, and the tourism industry is working on marketing plans for Japan.

He also says that beyond just tourism, the three direct flights a week will provide more opportunities for the export of Fiji’s high-quality seafood and unique Fijian made products to the Japanese market.  

Attorney General and Minister responsible for Civil Aviation, Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum, welcomed the route as a victory that would benefit the airline, bolster the relationship between the Fijian and Japanese people, and advance the Government’s long‑term development goals.

Sayed-Khaiyum says this opens a direct gateway between Fiji and the most populated metropolitan area in the world, and they expect the impact to go far beyond attracting more tourism to our shores.

He says as Government works to further solidify Fiji as the go‑to regional development hub for international businesses, investors and development organisations, this connection with Tokyo, a global financial centre and economic powerhouse that is home to dozens of Fortune Global 500 company headquarters, is an invaluable step in achieving Fiji’s goal.