SUVA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Fiji Airways, the national carrier of the South Pacific island country, received on Saturday its first new Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft, which will go into commercial service from December 1, this year with its inaugural flight from Australia's Sydney to Nadi, the third largest city of Fiji.
Named the "Island of Viti Levu", the first ever extra wide body aircraft in the South Pacific region, arrived early Saturday in Fiji's Nadi International Airport with Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama being onboard the flight from Sydney.
It is clear that this is more than a plane, it is a symbol of Fiji's progress and growing modernity, he said, adding that the extended effect of this single strategic investment will bolster Fiji's tourism sector and create new jobs for the country.
The airline will receive its second A350-900 XWB aircraft by the mid of next month.
In May this year, Fiji Airways stopped the service of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft which was leased from Miami Air in April this year. The airline's decision came after a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Miami Air slid off the runway into a river after landing in Jacksonville, the U.S. state of Florida during a thunderstorm.
In April this year, Fiji Airways leased a Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Miami Air to cover some of its schedules due to the temporary grounding of its two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in March this year after an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane crashed.
Currently, Fiji Airways operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 13 countries, regions and 23 cities. It has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners.
