1. Fiji Airways has become one of the South Pacific's most respected airlines. What's your vision for strengthening the airline's position as a leading regional carrier and a key driver of Fiji's global connectivity?
We have worked our way into a position of real credibility in the industry through a lot of hard work. A lot of that work was done before I arrived, so it was a pleasure to step in and inherit that.
It has really been about understanding a couple of key facts: we are intrinsically linked as a company to the country of Fiji. It is a very symbiotic relationship, and we understand the importance that Fiji Airways plays in that environment, just as we understand how important we are to the economy and vice versa.
We are leveraging Fiji's geographic location as a very well-placed hub for people who want to transit through, but more importantly, we want people to come here and holiday. That is the primary purpose of our existence.
We see ourselves, and I think inarguably, as the economic heartbeat of Fiji and the Pacific. Tourism plays a huge role, accounting for around 40% of GDP in Fiji, and we are about to celebrate our 75th anniversary. That demonstrates the importance we have played in the country and the importance we will play going forward.
Our vision is to play to our strengths. It has become well known that we believe ourselves to be the world's happiest airline. I find that promise quite easy to make. I've run multiple companies in the past, and I don't think I could have slept at night having made that promise in some of those companies, but I certainly think we have every right to claim it.
Happiness is our major point of difference. It is intrinsically part of the culture of the people who work for us and the people who live in Fiji and work in the hospitality industry. It is a massive point of difference, the happiness, the environment and the positivity. It is something we wish we could bottle and share with the rest of the world.
The vision is to maintain excellence in our service levels, make sure we never compromise on safety, and prioritize the happiness of our customers. That is embedded in our customer service training and in the natural Fijian way. We want to be seen predominantly as an airline that introduces Fiji and the Pacific to the world, but also as a carrier connecting people from Australia to the United States, or the United States to Australia and New Zealand. We are increasingly doing that because of the word of mouth spreading about how good our service is.
2. Connectivity is fundamental to the growth of island economies. How is Fiji Airways expanding its network and partnerships to reinforce Fiji's role as a gateway to the South Pacific?
Across our entire fleet and network, we service 37 destinations across 14 countries. That alone is an incredibly diverse network. Historically, we have been very strongly supported, and continue to be, by the markets closest to us, Australia and New Zealand.
But as our network grows, we are introducing people who historically would not have thought of Fiji Airways as the way to get from point A to point B. We love that, not necessarily because they have decided to come to Fiji. They might just stop over and take a two-hour transit before continuing their journey. But during that point-to-point trip and transit, we get the opportunity to promote Fiji to them, so there is a chance they will come back next time.
A big part of that is connectivity. We connect people from Fiji to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada. That connectivity is extremely important for a number of reasons, but mainly because we get to promote Fiji to people who may then want to come back.
People normally avoid stopovers, but we are now starting to see people willingly coming through Fiji because it is such a smooth experience. They get to stretch their legs, and it breaks up what would otherwise be a very long-haul trip. Increasingly, we are seeing people book stopovers here to refresh either on their way to or from their destination.
3. The United States is one of Fiji's fastest-growing tourism markets. How important are your North American services, particularly the Los Angeles route, and what opportunities do you see to further increase passenger traffic from the U.S. West Coast?
The United States generally is our most important growth market, and the West Coast itself is where it is all happening for us.
I recently heard a phrase being used on the West Coast of the United States that Fiji is "the new Hawaii." I think we should own that and be proud of it. Hawaii is a great and successful destination, and if Fiji could be considered in the same vein, that is a great positive for Fiji.
We are seeing increasing numbers of tourists coming through from other ports, and our relationships with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, our partners in the United States, are very important to that. But the real base load is coming out of the West Coast, particularly California, and we see huge growth potential there as well.
We are getting great feedback from our American passengers following the introduction of our FlyWell program. We have introduced a comprehensive wellness approach into the business-class cabin that aims to address some of the challenges associated with long-haul travel, such as jet lag, stiffness and difficulty sleeping.
FlyWell brings together a full suite of wellness products, services and technologies designed to enhance passengers' wellbeing before and during their journey. This includes wearable technology to help prevent swelling, red-light circadian-rhythm glasses, red-light therapy in the lounge before boarding, products designed to support focus or sleep, and EMF-blocking technology in our lounges.
The program has been very well received, and new products are now approaching us to become part of FlyWell. It has been incredibly successful.
When you combine our aspiration to be the world's happiest airline with a focus on wellness, we are getting increasingly good feedback from our U.S. passengers. The United States is a huge growth market for us, and we also serve San Francisco, which is growing quite significantly.
4. What investments are you making in fleet modernization, onboard products, digital innovation and customer experience to remain competitive on the global stage?
Our fleet is very modern and state-of-the-art. Our recent investment has given us a flagship A350-900 fleet, which is the aircraft you would have flown from Los Angeles. It is probably one of the most modern and comfortable aircraft in the sky.
From a customer-service point of view, the hard product itself, the seating, in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi, is all new and state-of-the-art.
We complement that with our "world's happiest airline" approach, so passengers receive that softer experience through our people. I have also mentioned our FlyWell program, which is very innovative. I think we are the first airline in the world to have a wellness menu on board.
You will also see enhancements to our website and app, which will help people feel more connected with us before and after their flight.
There is a lot happening, and like every airline, we are looking at how we can enhance the experience with AI. For me, that can help take away some of the risks of inconsistent service and make the experience more consistent. There is a lot in the works.
Our narrow-body fleet is made up almost entirely of 737 MAX 8s, which are also brand-new, state-of-the-art aircraft.
The other benefit of having such a young fleet is fuel efficiency. Our Maroroya program, which is our sustainability program, is benefiting significantly from the fuel efficiency of these new aircraft. They are about 25% more fuel-efficient than the previous variants.
There is no country in the world that feels climate change or the risk of climate change more acutely than Fiji and the Pacific islands. It is right in front of us, so it is really important that we lead the way.
We plant a mangrove tree for every take-off and landing. I have personally done it myself, and it is a pleasure to go back and see how much they have grown over a short period.
We also use technology in the cockpit of these new aircraft to help identify the most optimal routes and reduce fuel burn. Like many airlines, we are working on removing single-use plastics and making recycling much more front of mind, so we are really proud of Maroroya.
Fiji has a sugar industry that is also a natural input into sustainable aviation fuel. We are putting a lot of time and effort into exploring how we can develop an industry around it here and potentially lead the world. We have trialled sustainable aviation fuel on several flights, and that is something that will become increasingly prevalent in our offering.
5. As Fiji's national airline, Fiji Airways plays a critical role beyond aviation. How does the airline contribute to tourism, trade, employment and the country's broader economic development?
Fiji Airways plays a connecting role for businesses from other parts of the world. It makes it easier for external or foreign investors to come and have a look because the connections are so frequent and easy.
I think we learned through COVID that we cannot really do without face-to-face interaction. The need for face-to-face meetings here is a necessity, and we are proudly playing a role in enabling that.
We are also making sure that we are growing at a level that allows the economy to grow with us.
We are 50% owners of a hotel company that is about to open three new hotels before the end of this year. That increases job opportunities in the hospitality sector, increases the number of tourists who can potentially come here, and benefits coffee shops, taxis and tour operators. We are very proud of that.
By increasing our capacity, we have also generated an economic benefit and helped boost the economy of Fiji.
For the last 12 months, for the first time in Fiji's history, we hit the one-million-visitor mark. That has always been the elusive number, and for the last 12 months we have achieved it for the first time ever.
From a sustainability point of view, we see ourselves as a leader on a number of fronts, including sustainability and diversity, as well as making sure we help local people get educated and nurtured through a company that has the resources to train them.
We are investing very heavily in leadership at the moment. We have several leadership programs introducing new concepts around what constitutes good or bad leadership.
We have targets around diversity and community contributions, and we are very proud of our role in Fiji's economic growth.
We know we are a flag carrier, and we know people view us in line with Fiji. We present a very happy, polished, professional and disciplined airline, and that reflects really well on the country.
In recent times, we are also starting to see, particularly from the United States, real interest in foreign investment in what I believe has huge potential in terms of tourism growth.
There are real greenfield opportunities here to invest in Fiji. There are many beautiful and untouched sites that could accommodate new resorts, and we are getting a lot of interest from the United States.
6. The aviation industry faces increasing pressure to operate more sustainably. What steps is the company taking to reduce its environmental footprint through fleet efficiency, sustainable aviation initiatives and responsible growth?
It does not stop with our fleet and the airline side of the business. We have started transitioning our road fleet to at least hybrid or fully electric vehicles, so we are reducing our carbon footprint across pretty much every line of equipment we require to run an airline.
That is symbolic as well.
We are also just about to install a whole new solar array at our Fiji Airways Aviation Academy. That will significantly reduce our need for externally produced electricity.
There are many other things we are doing with our onboard products. Our blankets are made with bamboo, which is much more environmentally friendly, and we donate them to communities after we are finished with them.
Our amenities are also available on demand, rather than automatically being left for every passenger. That reduces wastage, because many people who fly frequently already have these products and simply throw them away.
It is the little things that make a difference.
7. Global aviation continues to face challenges ranging from supply-chain constraints to changing traveler expectations. How is the company building resilience while maintaining operational excellence and profitability?
Resilience comes through discipline.
You need good partners in the sector. Our airport partners have programs to make sure there is investment in airports to keep pace with growth, because you cannot do this alone.
A major part of our resilience plan was acquiring more modern, efficient aircraft and making sure we locked in those orders. I am glad we did because it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain new aircraft, and to get them quickly, because of the supply-chain pressures you highlighted.
We made a decision a few years ago to go further than what we might have needed in the short term. We secured more capacity, so we have capacity to grow, and that presents us with a real opportunity.
We have locked in our fleet, and we have plans to potentially bring in more aircraft in two or three years' time. Having a decent supply of well-respected aircraft and making sure people want to fly with us are both important elements of resilience.
Operational reliability is absolutely paramount, underpinned by safety performance. We have a very good safety track record and are very operationally reliable. That is helping us win the hearts and minds of customers, particularly those who have tried us for the first time and are coming back for a second or third time.
Of course, any airline needs to make sure it is financially resilient. We are working on getting the balance right so that we can offer a really strong product without breaking the bank.
We have a very profitable future ahead of us through the programs we are running. That is a difficult thing to achieve when running an airline, particularly one that is more leisure-focused than corporate-focused. We are therefore making decisions now that we know will set us up well for the future.
8. Strategic partnerships are becoming increasingly important in international aviation. How do alliances, codeshare agreements and collaborations with global carriers support Fiji Airways' long-term growth strategy?
They are hugely important to us.
Our full membership of the Oneworld alliance has allowed us to enjoy a level of credibility that does not come with being on our own. Being able to work with the likes of American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Alaska Airlines, Qantas, JAL and the rest of the alliance gives us a real credibility boost.
These partnerships also open up the ability for us to offer more than 900 destinations throughout the world on a network where we operate to only 37 destinations in our own right.
These alliances are beneficial in many ways. They are also a good source of information and knowledge for us. We can look to some of our bigger partners that have experienced things we have not yet experienced and learn from what they have learned.
Most importantly, passengers who travel with Oneworld partners get to experience an incredibly smooth customer journey because it is predictable. You know what you are getting and what you can expect because that is part of what it means to be in the Oneworld alliance.
9. Looking ahead, what are Fiji Airways' key priorities over the next five to 10 years in terms of network expansion, fleet development, innovation and strengthening Fiji's position as a world-class tourism destination?
Our aspiration is to make sure we grow in line with the growth aspirations of Fiji's tourism industry.
We have recently launched new routes. We added the Gold Coast as our seventh port in and out of Australia, and that is also very important for the West Coast of the United States because it is a mini-Hollywood. A lot of movies are now being made on the Gold Coast, and we have many people joining our Gold Coast flights directly from Los Angeles.
It is an incredibly important growth port for us.
We recently pulled out of Dallas, but we boosted San Francisco and Vancouver with the flights that previously operated to Dallas. That demonstrates how important the West Coast is to us and our determination to continue strengthening our position there.
Our aspirations are fundamentally growth aspirations. We want to grow because that helps the Fiji economy and tourism industry grow.
But in doing so, we need to be sustainable from an environmental point of view and, importantly, from a financial point of view. We have to maintain that balance.
A strong Fiji Airways is good for Fiji.
10. Finally, what message would you like to share with Los Angeles Times readers about Fiji as an exceptional destination and the role Fiji Airways plays in connecting travelers to the warmth, culture and natural beauty of the South Pacific?
I would love to invite anyone in California, or the United States for that matter, to put us to the test.
Not just the airline. We would like them to test whether we are truly the world's happiest airline, and whether Fiji is as happy as people say it is.
I know we are up for that challenge.
The added benefit for anyone coming here from the United States is how strong your dollar is and how much you get for your money in Fiji. It is incredibly good value.
The experience is world-class, but it is very affordable. I think that is one of the reasons why there is such growing interest from the United States. Once people see what we have to offer, how beautiful it is, how enjoyable it is to get here on our planes, and how far their dollar goes, I think it is a recipe for success.
But I want to throw the challenge out there: put us to the test. Come and see if we really are the world's happiest airline. We are open to the feedback, but I think it will be good.
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