Fiji Airways is returning two Airbus A330-200s on short-term lease including the Island of Beqa (DQ-FJO) and the Island of Vatulele (DQ-FJP). The aircraft originally joined the Fiji Airways fleet in May and July 2018, respectively.
On Friday (July 30, 2021), Fiji Airways announced that they would return two Airbus A330-200s on short-term lease, which were originally delivered to the carrier in May and July of 2018. The aircraft being returned to the lessor are the Island of Bequ, registration DQ-FJO and the Island of Vatulele, registration DQ-FJP. The aircraft have been parked since March 2020 due to the grounding of the carrier’s greater fleet resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In Friday’s announcement, Fiji Airways’ Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Andre Viljoen, said,
“The two aircraft were added to the fleet in 2018 to boost the capacity in the short-term, allowing for increase in frequency and launch of new routes like Tokyo (Narita). The aircraft were invaluable to helping Fiji Airways recover schedules following disruptions caused by the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.”
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we worked hard with the lessors of these aircraft to allow for an early return by a few months. This was only possible because these two A330s were short-term and nearing end of lease. Still, we’ll take every little win in our efforts to reduce fixed costs as we tide through this pandemic.”
The Fiji Airways fleet will now consist of two Airbus A350-900s, three A330-200s, one A330-300, five Boeing 737-8 MAX and two B737NG aircraft.
Source: Fiji Airways