North Queenslanders, get ready for new nonstop flights to Fiji – and an easier path to North America. On sale from today, Fiji Airways has announced a new direct service between Cairns and Nadi, commencing 10 April 2025.
The first-ever nonstop link between North Queensland and Fiji, the approximately 4.5 hour service will operate three times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Fiji Airways will use its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on the route, which will add 53,000 seats a year between Australia and the South Pacific nation.
The sixth Fiji Airways link to Australia, the new service will also increase convenience for Aussies looking to travel onwards to North America and other ports in the FJ network, like the new Dallas-Fort Worth route, which will fly on the same days.
Two-way tourism
Fiji Airways CEO and Managing Director André Viljoen said the new Cairns service “is a further step in our network expansion, providing more travel options and enhanced connectivity for our customers”.
“Northern Australia holds a special allure for many of our travellers, and we’re proud to bring them closer to it,” he said.
“This route also offers convenient onward connections from Cairns to Dallas via Nadi, making it easier than ever for travellers to access North America.”
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker called the new service “a game changer for our region”.
“Not only does it open the South Pacific to locals as a great holiday destination or to visit loved ones, but maximising the growing network of Fiji Airways means fast, one-stop connectivity to North America via its hub in Nadi,” he remarked.
“Destinations such as Los Angeles and San Francisco are now just 16 hours away, slashing nearly three hours of travel time via an Australian domestic port.
“Likewise for international visitors heading to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, travel will become so much easier from April 2025.
“With Fiji Airways Oneworld membership and close alignment to American Airlines, many markets in North America are now within easy reach.”
Queensland Tourism Minister Andrew Powell flagged the boost the new flights would provide Far North Queensland tourism operators.
“More visitors from across the South Pacific and the USA will experience the wonders of Tropical North Queensland when these new flights start touching down direct from Fiji,” he stated.
“They will carry up to 26,593 inbound passengers every year, generating more than $12 million per year in overnight visitor spend and creating 130 direct and indirect peak jobs.
“The Queensland Government is proud to support these new services as we formulate a 20-year tourism plan to showcase Queensland’s natural beauty to the world, including the reef, rainforests, beaches and the outback.”
US market booming
Meanwhile, Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen highlighted the strength of the North American visitor market, currently the second largest, “which has recovered by more than 74 per cent with 101,000 visitors in the past financial year”.
“A one-hop service from North America to Cairns would create the potential for Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef to be the first port of arrival for more US travellers,” he added.
“The new Fiji Airways flights come after substantial investment in the North American market by TTNQ with the assistance of the Federal Government’s International Tourism Recovery Program. To date we have launched 18 campaigns in the US and Canadian markets with seven of those completed generating more than $15 million in sales.”
To mark the new Cairns-Nadi service, Fiji Airways is offering introductory return fares until 26 November from AU$539 (Lite) to Nadi, from $999 (Value) to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and from $1,099 (Value) to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Fiji Airways unveiled its new NAN-DFW service in August.
