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| Founded | 1947 | |||
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| Hubs | Nadi International Airport | |||
| Secondary hubs | Nausori International Airport | |||
| Airport lounge | Tabua Club | |||
| Subsidiaries | Pacific Sun | |||
| Fleet size | 7 +(3 orders) | |||
| Destinations | 17 | |||
| Parent company | Government of Fiji (51%) Qantas (46.32%) |
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| Headquarters | Nadi International Airport Nadi, Fiji |
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| Key people | Dave Pflieger (MD and CEO) | |||
| Website | airpacific.com | |||
Air Pacific Limited, Fiji's international airline, operates international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Hong Kong. It is also a partner with the frequent flyer programmes of Qantas, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines[1] (though not the larger Oneworld airline alliance to which Qantas and American are key members). It has its head office at the Air Pacific Maintenance & Administration Centre at Nadi International Airport in Nadi.[2][3]
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The airline was established and started operations in 1951. It was founded by Australian aviator Harold Gatty. The company previously operated as Fiji Airways .The airline was previously headquartered on the grounds of Nausori Airport in Suva.[4]
Air Pacific began service to the USA in 1983. Except for 2001, the airline has been profitable for every year from 1995 to 2004. Over 500,000 passengers were carried in 2004. The airline was responsible for starting the first ever scheduled international services to the capital of Australia, Canberra. While the service operated twice weekly for a number of months it is now suspended.
Air Pacific acquired Sun Air, a domestic airline, in 2007. This formed the basis for Pacific Sun, Air Pacific's domestic and regional subsidiary.
Air Pacific is owned by the Fijian government (51%), Qantas (46.32%). Air New Zealand and the governments of Kiribati, Tonga, Nauru and Samoa each hold minor stakes. It employed 771 people as of March 2007.[5]
In 2008 the airline decided to withdraw from the Japan market. The airline stated that it tried many schemes to re-stimulate demand from Japan, but did not find success.[6] The same year, Air Pacific withdrew its service to Vancouver, to which it had operated via Honolulu since 2000.
Air Pacific announced a record after tax loss of FJ$65.3 million (US$35.3 million) for the 2009/2010 financial year. The after tax loss for the previous financial year was FJ$5.2 million (US$2.8 million). The chairman Nalin Patel says this was the toughest financial year for the company due to high fuel costs, the impact of new competition, lower fares and the global financial crisis.[7]
In April 2011, it was announced that Air Pacific had cancelled its order for eight Boeing 787s.[8]
In October 2011, it was announced that Air Pacific had ordered 3 Airbus A330-200 from Airbus.
Air Pacific has the following codeshare agreements (at December 2009), all bookable through Air Pacific website:
| Airline | From | To | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | Nadi | Los Angeles | Air Pacific |
| Alaska Airlines | Los Angeles | Vancouver | Alaska Airlines |
| American Airlines | Los Angeles | Atlanta Austin Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas Miami New York Phoenix Portland Sacramento San Diego San Francisco San Jose Seattle Washington |
American Airlines |
| Cathay Pacific | Nadi | Hong Kong | Air Pacific |
| Qantas | Nadi | Auckland Brisbane Honolulu Melbourne Sydney |
Air Pacific |
The Air Pacific fleet consists of Boeing-built aircraft, as well as Airbus-orders:
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A330-200 | — | 3 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Entry into service 2013[9] |
| Boeing 737-700 | 1 | — | 8 | 112 | 120 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 3 | — | 8 | 154 | 162 | |
| Boeing 747-400 | 2 | — | 28 | 430 | 458 | Leased from Singapore Airlines |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | — | 18 | 238 | 256 | Exit from service January 2012 |
| Total | 7 | 3 | ||||
Air Pacific offer two types of classes on their international services, Pacific Voyager (Economy) and Tabua (Business).
Pacific Voyager Class accommodates customers providing economy seat pitch of up to 32 inches and a seat width of up to 18 inches depending on fleet type. On the Boeing 747, each seat is provided with in-seat entertainment with 12 looped video channels and 8 audio channels. The rest of the fleet is fitted with overhead monitors or screens at the front of each cabin. The systems on all fleet types are quite out-dated when compared to modern audio-video on demand (AVOD) systems utilized by most major airlines. Meals and beverages are also provided inclusive with the ticket price when travelling within economy class. Passengers are seated behind the business class (Tabua Class) cabin as well as on the upper deck of the Boeing 747 aircraft.
Tabua Class is the Air Pacific name for business class and includes services such as the in-seat entertainment with 21 looped video channels on the Boeing 747 aircraft. There is a selection of cuisine available to order which is much greater in range than that of economy. Tabua Class on the Boeing 747 also have access to power outlets for charging laptops, and other portable devices. The aircraft seats are of an older and out-dated design compared to most major international airlines. Tabua class customers also are able to utilize the Tabua lounge at Nadi, as well as partner lounges at other destinations. Tabua Class passengers also enjoy an increase in checked in luggage allowance.
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