Australian leisure carrier Jetstar is poised to launched direct flights between the Victorian capital city of Melbourne and Nadi, Fiji as of the 16th of December 2023.
The new service readies to cater to the upcoming busy Christmas travel period.
Airbus A321LR
Jetstar will deploy its latest state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo LR from Melbourne to the Pacific Island. Quieter, and more fuel efficient, the new aircraft will serve the route thrice weekly and is expected to carry up to 72,000 customers to Nadi per annum.
This will be the first time ever that Jetstar will offer non-stop flights from Melbourne to the Pacific Island nation, and to commemorate the first time ever flight, the low-cost carrier will be launching a 24-hour sale from midday with one-way fares starting from $179.
Alan McIntyre, Jetstar’s Chief Customer Officer, said “Now local Melbournites can now have easy and affordable access to Fiji where they can enjoy the sun, sea, and sand in a seamless matter with Jetstar.”
“Since relaunching our Sydney to Fiji services, we’ve seen strong demand from Melbourne travellers, and from December they will be able to fly direct,”
Alan furthered: “Fiji is a hugely popular destination for Australians, and with interest continuing to grow, we’re offering more than 70,000 great low fares seats each year between Melbourne and Fiji. We thank Melbourne Airport for its support of the new route.”
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Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation, Jim Parashos, said that he was happy that Melbourne Airport will be connected to Fiji by Jetstar, giving the airport a more competitive edge with more flights on the route:
“Travel demand to tropical destinations like Fiji is an at all-time high since international borders reopened. Many Victorians are seeking a warmer climate and cultural experiences with short travel times, and now thanks to Jetstar’s low fares there’s even more reason to travel to the South Pacific Islands.”
“Melbourne is Australia’s largest city by population, and we’re glad to see Jetstar recognize our strong outbound demand by adding more capacity.”
A321neo LR – A Game Changer
The announcement comes after the Australian low-cost airline began flying between Sydney and Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, also utilizing the A321neo LR aircraft.
The new aircraft will also be deployed on the existing Sydney to Fiji service from 29th October of this year and onwards. Moreover, the new Airbus ‘next-gen’ aircraft adds an extra 46 seats per flight compared to its predecessor, the Airbus A320.
Flight schedule
| Flight # | Frequency | From | To | Depart | Arrive |
| JQ121 | Mon, Thu, Sat | MEL | NAN | 06:15 | 12:15 |
| JQ122 | Mon, Thu, Sat | NAN | MEL | 13:15 | 17:50 |
| JQ119 | Tue, Fri, Sun | SYD | NAN | 09:45 | 14:55 |
| JQ120 | Tue, Fri, Sun | NAN | SYD | 16:00 | 19:50 |
The newer and more efficient aircraft has a more competitive edge than most aircraft in the Australian market, giving the airline the economic advantage in launching the Melbourne to Nadi flights.
