Pacific Sun

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For other uses, see Pacific Sun (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Air Pacific (United States).
Fiji Link
IATA
FJ		 ICAO
FJA		 Callsign
FIJI LINK
Founded 2006
Commenced operations 2006
Hubs Nadi International Airport
Secondary hubs Nausori International Airport
Fleet size 5
Destinations 12 (See Below)
Company slogan Best value under the Sun
Parent company Air Pacific Limited
Headquarters Nadi International Airport
Nadi, Fiji
Key people Shaenaz Voss (General Manager)
Website http://www.fijiairways.com/
Sunflower Airlines Islander, landing on Malololailai, Fiji, 1986.

Fiji Airlines Limited, trading as Fiji Link, is an airline headquartered at the Fiji Link office in the Civil Aviation Authority of the Fiji Islands (CAAFI) compound at Nadi International Airport in Nadi, Fiji.[1] It operates scheduled services to twelve destinations within the Fijian Islands as well as regionally within the Pacific Islands. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiji's International carrier Fiji Airways.

History

Don Collingwood, a pilot and businessman, founded what became Pacific Sun in 1980, under the name Sunflower Airlines, which later changed to Sun Air. It began with a single Britten Norman BN2 Islander aircraft, flying the Nadi-Taveuni route. Other than the BN2 Islanders which remained the backbone of the fleet, the airline operated a wide range of piston and turboprop aircraft including the Beechcraft BE-95 Baron, Beechcraft A65 Queen Air, de Havilland DH.114 Heron, Shorts 330, and de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter. By January 2007 before official handover to Air Pacific, its fleet had grown to 12 aircraft, and the company employed nearly 140 staff.[2]

On 31 January 2007 Sun Air was sold and handed over to current parent company Fiji Airways, formerly Air Pacific, which had to fight off a legal challenge against the handover by the now-defunct rival domestic carrier at the time, Air Fiji.[3] Air Pacific then established the domestic airline as Fiji Airlines Limited, trading as Pacific Sun. The airline began operations with eight aircraft, including the introduction of two ATR 42-500 aircraft purchased used from Air Mauritius, along with three existing BN2 Islanders and three DHC-6 Twin Otters. However, the fleet was cut back to just four between December 2010 and June 2011 due to economic cost cutting, resulting in the withdrawal of the BN2 Islander fleet as well as one DHC-6 Twin Otter.[4] Two additional leased DHC-6 Twin Otters were added to the fleet during June 2011 to increase the Pacific Sun fleet to six aircraft.[5]

On November 26, 2013, parent Fiji Airways announced Pacific Sun will be rebranded as ‘Fiji Link’ in mid-2014.

News

In late November 2010, Pacific Sun announced that due to current economical reasons, they were withdrawing their BN2 Islander fleet from service. This meant downsizing the Pacific Sun fleet from eight aircraft to just five.[4]

In early December 2010 Pacific, Pacific Sun announced the redundancy of 85 out of 210 employees. This included staff from administrative, support and operations areas as well as 15 Pilots. Pacific Sun's general manager, Jim Samson, explained that continuing operating losses had resulted in management having to make some tough decisions.

"Pacific Sun has lost, on average, $6 million per year over the last three years. Continued losses are unsustainable. Regrettably as a result, we have no alternative but to restructure the airline in order to ensure its viability and success going forward," he said.

Air Pacific chief executive officer and Pacific Sun board member David Pflieger said since Air Pacific's takeover in 2007, Pacific Sun had accumulated $18.5million in losses. Air Pacific had loaned $44million to purchase Sun Air's certificate and operations and two ATR-42 aircraft.[6]

In November 2013, Fiji Airways held a competition to rename Pacific Sun. On November 13, the competition closed with the most votes going to Fiji Link. On November 26 Fiji Airways released the new name. The new livery was also announced. Operations as Fiji Link will commence in Mid-2014.

Destinations

As of March 2013, Pacific Sun operates scheduled services to the following destinations:[7]

 Fiji

Oceania

 Tonga
 Tuvalu
 Samoa

Fleet

Logo of former Sunflower Airlines

In April 2013, the Pacific Sun fleet included:[8]

Pacific Sun Fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 42-500
2
0
44
Fijian Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. To be replaced by the ATR 72-600s.
ATR 72-600
0
2
TBA
Fijian Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. Replacing the ATR 42 500s. [9]
De Havilland DHC6-300 Twin Otter
3
0
19
Fijian Islands
Total
5
2

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us." Fiji Airlines Limited. Retrieved on 3 October 2009. "Fiji Airlines Limited, trading as Pacific Sun, was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Pacific Limited currently having its main base at the Pacific Sun office, CAAFI Compound, Nadi Airport, Fiji Islands." and "Head Office Pacific Sun PO Box 9270 Nadi International Airport Fiji Islands"
  2. ↑ Fiji TV
  3. ↑ Fiji Times
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Air Pacific
  5. ↑ Fiji Times
  6. ↑ Fiji Times
  7. ↑ "Pacific Sun route map". Fiji Airlines Limited. Retrieved 2008-04-03. 
  8. ↑ Pacific Sun-Fleet
  9. ↑ http://www.ausbt.com.au/fiji-airways-expands-fleet-with-new-airbus-boeing-planes

External links

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