A major localisation drive is now fully underway at Fiji Airways to get more local pilots flying for our international airline.
The new Fiji Airways CEO and Managing Director, Andre Viljoen says 55 percent of the pilots at Fiji Airways are locals at the moment while 45 percent are expatriates.
Viljoen says their aim is to reduce the expatriate pilots to 30 percent.
Viljoen says his main focus is to work on perfecting the basics.
He says the most important part of the business is people and he will be driving the localisation program.
Viljoen says they will continue on improving service, continue to focus on on-time performance and improve service quality during any disruptions.
He says work is also continuing on getting a replacement fleet for Fiji Airways 737s.
Speaking on service, Viljoen says they have now started new services for premium customers.
Viljoen says for Fijilink, they will soon have an increase in the number of flights to Savusavu and Taveuni, amended times for easier connectivity for early arrivals from Los Angeles, midday flights between Suva and Nadi 6 times a week and increased flights to popular local destinations during peaks.
There will also be more international frequency and capacity in the peaks. Suva to Auckland flights will move to 3 per week and Christchurch to 3 per week during the peak period.
