FJ’s Andre Viljoen: Buy in by all In Work as One. Survive, Thrive
HOW OUR NATIONAL AIRLINE IS
Sun Business sat down with Fiji Airways Managing Director and chief executive officer Andre Viljoen to get a sense of the airline’s priorities for 2021. This is part one of a series of articles focusing on the National Airline.
Sunbiz Interview below:
What can you tell us about Fiji Airways’ strategy as we embark on another year, while international borders remain closed?
Our strategy continues from 2020 as we focus on being ‘future fit’.
After the impact of COVID and all the measures we had to undertake, which were similar to the measures taken by all airlines, we established a common purpose. This common purpose, which has been instilled across the entire airline and has the buy-in of all our staff, is to work as one to ensure Fiji Airways survives and thrives.
We are continuously reviewing our networks, fleet, product offered, making every moment better in our customer experience in line with the impact and changes brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
All important infrastructure and systems are being revamped or reinvented across the entire airline; from our website to the installation of a new revenue management system.
We are working on a number of fronts simultaneously to be ready; we are ‘Commercial Ready’, with enticing holiday packages using the Fijian Government’s travel rebate scheme, created in partnership with all major hotels and resorts.
We are preparing for an uncertain future for travel demand. While most of the forecasts predict reduced demand compared to 2019 levels, there pockets of opportunity that will be present by the Bula Bubble or any travel corridor which may open up.
We have rolled out our ‘Travel Ready’ Programme to ensure the medical safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff.
This programme is continuously being refined to cater for new requirements as we learn more about the Pandemic.
We continue to deliver numerous training and capacity development across the board at both Fiji Airways and Fiji Link to ensure we are ‘People Ready’ and ‘Service Ready’ for when demand returns.
As an example, our Fiji Airways Aviation Academy is being used to upskill and upgrade our pilots from First Officer to Captain positions.
So a lot of work goes in every day to ensure we are ready when border restrictions ease and travel can resume safely.
You may have heard questions from certain quarters about what Fiji Airways is doing when so many planes are parked at Nadi Airport. But you are doing some flying locally and internationally while borders remain closed. What services are you operating?
We continue to operate repatriation flights to allow citizens to return home.
Between March 20 and December 31 2020, Fiji Airways and Fiji Link operated 141 repatriation flights to reunite travellers with their families.
Fiji Airways has currently published a repatriation flights’ schedule through to the end of March 2021 on our website. We expect to operate up to 60 repatriation flights in this period. Additionally, both Fiji Airways and Fiji Link operate charter services on behalf of Governments and other organisations to move their citizens.
It is also important to note that our Fiji Link operations are continuing to our entire domestic network, with up to 100 flights per week.
You mentioned the freight flights you are operating. How are those going?
I’m pleased to share that our renewed focus on our cargo operations continues to yield positive results for the country.
We have recorded a 25 per cent increase in exports carried from Fiji on Fiji Airways in the sixmonth period ending September 30, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
Fresh produce led exports carried in this period, accounting for 58 per cent of outbound export freight.
This was followed by general cargo at 27 per cent, chilled fish at 14 per cent and pharmaceuticals at 1 per cent.
Total fresh produce carried in this period increased significantly by 205 per cent compared to the same period last year (by weight). Turmeric accounted for 33 per cent of all fresh produce carried between April and September, followed by taro (28 per cent) and kava (3 per cent). A wide range of other perishable produce and products made up the remainder (35 per cent).
Since the launch of dedicated freighter flights in April, our teams have been working actively with freight forwarders and exporters like to grow exports from Fiji.
Our objective is to ensure vital supply lines are maintained for the benefit of primary producers, farmers, fisher folk, workers, exporters, freight forwarders and consumers alike.
With a revitalised Cargo sales and operations team now in place now, we continue to explore ways to support our new business development opportunities for exporters.
This includes shipping product samples to potential distributors in new markets free of charge. In normal times, we had passengers and baggage to account for most of the revenue and to cover the operating cost of the flight.
The remaining space was used for cargo, and it was treated as sundry revenue.
But now, the entire operating cost of a dedicated cargo flight must be borne by the cargo itself. And for this reason the cargo flights are targeted to cover operating costs only to make the cargo rates attractive for our Fijian exporters.
When borders open for passengers how quickly can Fiji Airways be ready to fly?
As highlighted earlier, we are already operating repatriation and freight flights, so the answer to that question is immediately.
Once border decisions are announced, our teams will work up an appropriate schedule which we will begin to promote extensively in the respective market. We realise the importance of travel and tourism not only for Fiji Airways, but for Fijian tourism and the hundreds of thousands of Fijians who depend on this industry.
We are ready to lead tourism and economic activity and recovery as soon as it is possible to do so safely.
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