Bullet casing found on Fiji Airways flight poses no threat and was immediately neutralised

A bullet casing found inside the overhead locker of a Fiji Airways flight earlier this year has been confirmed as non-threatening and was immediately neutralised upon discovery.

Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka told Parliament that the casing was located in a locker aboard flight FJ910 on April 7th, 2025, and the aircraft had just returned from Sydney and was undergoing routine checks before departing for Los Angeles.

Gavoka says the casing was detected during a standard pre-departure security sweep conducted by airport personnel.

He explains that the aircraft had flown three international legs that day, and says police were immediately notified when the discovery was made, and a full secondary search of the aircraft was conducted before boarding resumed.

The Minister says the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) assumed control of the investigation on April 10th and requested further details from Fiji Airways, which also consulted its station managers in Dallas and Sydney.

While one passenger seated near the overhead locker was identified, Gavoka says shared compartment use made it difficult to determine who may have placed the casing there, and the multiple international stops added further complexity to the investigation.

The Minister confirms that while the investigation has yet to find how the casing ended up on board, the incident highlighted the strength of Fiji’s aviation security protocols.

He says Fiji Airways has since ramped up quality control across its international network, and CAAF continues to work closely with the airline to maintain high safety standards.

Gavoka is reassuring the travelling public that air travel in Fiji remains one of the safest modes of transport, and the government remains fully committed to protecting the country’s skies.