Man charged with rape over Virgin Australia airline crew attack in Fiji

A Fijian man who allegedly attacked a female Virgin flight crew member has been charged with rape. The incident has sparked a war of words in Fiji among nightclub owners over safety.

A Fijian man who allegedly attacked a female Virgin Australia flight crew member on her way home from a nightclub on New Year’s Eve has been charged with rape.

Fiji Police confirmed they had laid one charge of rape and one count of sexual assault over the incident.

The 21-year-old female flight crew member had been alone when she was attacked, according to reports of the police investigation.

In a separate incident on the same night, a male Virgin Australia crew member was allegedly assaulted near the Bar One nightclub in Nadi and required hospital treatment for facial injuries.

Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew announced the rape and sexual assault charges and said the accused would appear at the Nadi Magistrates Court on Monday, the Fiji Times reported.

The Virgin Australia pair had been drinking at the Bar one nightclub, which holds more than 300 patrons, and had an Afro Caribbean themed party that night.

But the female crew member was separated from her group on the night and was trying to get home alone, according to Fiji police, the ABC reported.

The two crew members, who were on a layover, were interviewed by police and made official statements before flying back to Australia.

Virgin Australia flight frew memebers were allegedly attacked.

Virgin Australia has declined to comment but it sent a support team to Fiji to assist their staff.

The incident capped off a horror month for Fiji’s tourism industry, with seven people, including four Australians, falling ill in a suspected mass poisoning at the five-star Warwick Resort.

Fiji’s Government has ruled out methanol poisoning as a source of the illness but have failed to reveal the cause.

The Virgin Australia crew were drinking in a party strip in Nadi, about 20 minutes’ drive from the island’s international airport.

Footage from the Bar One Instagram page shows hundreds of people inside the club and on the streets after a recent night there.

The Bar One incident has sparked a war of words in Fiji, with nightclub operators blaming a lack of police patrols and a 1am lockout.

“The incident has unfortunately painted a negative im­age for tourism in Fiji,” Roneel Sami, president of Nadi’s nightclub association, told the Fiji Sun.

“When nightclubs close at 1am; it forces every­one, including tourists, to leave and wait outside. People are left standing in the streets, waiting for taxis.

“If nightclubs operated as they did before (and) closed at 5am, people would have more control over when they leave. It would also be easier to get a taxi, since there would be few­er people outside.”

He added that Bar One nightclubbers had to walk a few hundred metres to get a taxi because there was no parking outside the venue.

“I believe this incident happened due to a combination of factors; the absence of parking facilities and insufficient police patrols,” Mr Sami said.

Fiji Police are investigating the incident. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Virgin Australia crew at the centre of the attack in Fiji have now returned home.

Both have been interviewed by Fiji police and given official statements.

There were five crew members who stayed in Fiji to assist police with their inquiries.

Fiji’s government also put out a statement on Thursday about the flight crew’s incident, saying their “thoughts and concerns are with them and for their health and well-being”.

“These alleged incidents are regrettable. There were two separate alleged incidents, one being alleged theft and the other being alleged sexual assault which affected two different crew members,” the statement said.

“A suspect known to Police for the alleged sexual assault has been questioned. Investigation continues.”

Fiji’s economy relies on tourism, with almost 600,000 visitors pumping $1 billion into the island nation in 2023.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was aware of these reports. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” DFAT said.

The AFP were approached for comment.