AIR Pacific is to add extra flights to Australia, New Zealand and the United States, increasing the airlines' network coverage to 17 cities in 11 countries.
By April, New Zealand will receive Boeing 737 Sunday flights from Nadi to Christchurch while a second 737 will be added to Wednesdays during the peak winter period from June to October.
The additional flights mean the national carrier's fleet of six aircraft will be operating more than 110 flights a week, delivering more than 2.3 million seats per annum to and from Fiji.
A media release by the airline said a projected 576,000 visitors were likely to be attracted by the new flights.
Auckland to Nadi flights will be expanded by an extra B737 service with a further B737 upgraded to a B767 aircraft, taking frequency between Auckland and Fiji to fourteen flight weekly from April.
Los Angeles will get a fifth weekly B747-400 service for the peak period between June and September following successful implementation of extra B747 flights last year.
Air Pacific will start regular scheduled services from Nadi to Tarawa using a B737-700 aircraft once another fire tender is delivered to Kiribati.
This weekly frequency, is expected to be doubled to two flights a week following the start of the service, although this is dependant on demand and Kiribati government approval, an Air Pacific media release said.
The flights between Nadi and Tarawa will be timed to provide connections from Nadi to Christmas Island and Honolulu. Brisbane will now receive eight weekly flights with the addition to the B737 on Friday evenings from April, while peak season services between Nadi and Sydney with overnight B737 flights on Saturdays and Sundays will supplement the daily B747-400 flights.
The company will also retain four weekly BB767 services, upgrading two of those to B747 aircraft in winter months to provide additional seats.
This follows the unpublicised withdrawal of services between Melbourne and Nadi by Pacific (Virgin) Blue from April.
"We are delighted to be able to expand upon our commitment to serve Fiji through provision off adequate seat capacity to meet forecast demand whilst continuing to offer full service comfort to our customer,''' said John Campbell, Air Pacific's managing director and chief executive.
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