Air Pacific starting flights to India Fiji route next two years

Fiji’s international airline, Air Pacific is considering various options of starting a one stop flight service on India Fiji route in the next two years. Currently, working on a code share with Air India, Jet Airways and Cathay Pacific Airlines; the carrier is receiving recordable amount of Indian traffic to Fiji. Starting December 3, 2009; the airline is introducing twice weekly service on Hong Kong Fiji route which is expected to further boost the Indian traffic volume. The airline aims to offer connectivity for travellers from UK, Europe and Asian countries to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia through this service.

Talking about the Indian market and its future plans, Vivek Jain, Managing Director, Griffon Travels General Sales Agent for Air Pacific in India said, India is becoming an important market for major carriers across the world. Due to an increased awareness of destinations like Australia and New Zealand, Fiji is fast emerging as a destination for Indian travellers to explore. More and more Indian travellers wish to explore the island country despite having no direct air connections between both the countries. With this growth prospects, Air Pacific is considering plans to introduce a one-stop service or a direct flight between India and Fiji by 2011. But it all depends on the market conditions and the gap between demand and supply.

Jain further added, Currently, we are recording a growth of over 20-30 per cent from Indian market every year, but with the launch of Hong Kong Fiji service, we expect to grow about 100-150 per cent in next one year. He highlighted the visa on arrival service in Hong Kong and Fiji for Indian travellers, stating that it facilitated even last minute bookings. Mumbai based Beacon Holidays, which recently introduced an exclusive brochure on Fiji is confident about the rise in Indian traffic to Fiji in the coming years. Heena Munshaw, Managing Director, Beacon Holidays said, Day by day Indian travellers are becoming more experimental and adventurous in the way they holiday. The concept of holidaying in short haul destinations in an old story and Indians are now exploring destinations like Hawaii, Iceland, Ireland and Australia. Fiji is a destination for high end segments like FITs, honeymooners, families and incentives. If promoted to the right Indian travel suppliers at the right time, Fiji has the potential to become one of the most popular island destinations for Indian travellers.