Canberra Airport is set to welcome back international services for the first time since Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines operated tagged Sydney flights through the hub more than three years ago.
Fiji Airways will be the first overseas carrier to return to the capital, set to directly connect Canberra and Nadi for the first time in 20 years.
Fiji’s national carrier currently offers flights between the Australian capital and Nadi with a stopover in Sydney operated by partner airlines Sunstate and Qantaslink.
A direct Canberra–Nadi flight is estimated to take around four to five hours, while the current one-stop option clocks in between seven to eight hours.
Fiji Airways has not connected Fiji and Canberra Airport since 2004 when the airline was known as Air Pacific.
ABC News reported that ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka and airport officials are expected to announce the new direct route between Canberra and Nadi on Friday 14 April 2023.
The route would allow Canberrans to connect to North America via the airline’s network, while international flights will help grow the local tourism industry. Fiji Airways introduced non-stop Nadi-Vancouver services in late November 2022.
Canberra Region Tourism Industry Council CEO Naomi Dale told the ABC that Canberra Airport was built to cater for international travel and a higher volume of passengers.
“We’re definitely ready to take those international flights and flights of all sizes,” she said.