Cairns Airport to welcome new triweekly international route from Fiji Airways

A new international service set to begin flying from Cairns Airport will slash hours from the flying time between Far North Queensland and the United States.

Fiji Airways has announced a tri-weekly international service between Cairns and Fiji.

A new triweekly international service set to begin flying from Cairns Airport will slash hours from the trip between Far North Queensland and the United States.

Fiji Airways announced on Wednesday it would launch direct services to Cairns from April 10, in a move which Tourism Tropical North Queensland said will speed up the recovery of international visitor numbers from the North American market.

TTNQ chief executive officer Mark Olsen said the new route would be the fastest flying time to Cairns from the United States, slashing nearly three hours off travel from Los Angeles, making it just 16 hours away, and offering reduced flight times from San Francisco and Dallas.

Regional General Manager Australia and Pacific Islands, Fiji Airways, John Nickel, Tourism Tropical North Queensland general manager marketing, Lani Cooper, Cairns Airport chief executive Richard Barker and Assistant Tourism Minister Bree James announce Fiji Airways new direct service between Cairns and Nandi which will commence on April 10, 2025. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

Fiji Airways will operate between Nadi and Cairns Airport three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on a Boeing 737-8 aircraft with eight business and 170 economy seats.

“The new service via Fiji presents the opportunity to bring an estimated 52,000 additional US visitors annually injecting more than $160m into the region’s economy,” Mr Olsen said.

“The US is currently our second-largest international market and has recovered by more than 73 per cent with 83,000 visitors and North America collectively brought in 101,000 visitors in the past financial year.

“A one-hop service from the US would create the potential for Cairns to be the first port of arrival for more North Americans and help to build their average length of stay.”

Mr Olsen said before the pandemic, the North American market delivered 139,000 visitors to the Tropical North each year, but the region had since seen a reduction in the average length of stay from the peak in 2016 of seven nights to five nights.

Cairns Airport chief executive Richard Barker said the new service between Cairns and Fiji was a 'game changer' not only for visitors to the regions, but for travellers transiting through to the United States. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

“Many operators attributed this reduction in holiday time to the cost and availability of the domestic connections to Cairns,” Mr Olsen said.

Cairns Airport chief executive Richard Barker said the new route, a first for the Far North port, would cut down on travel time between the two destinations.

“Having to go south down to Brisbane or Sydney and then go across, is a full day, so it’s at least halving the time to get there,” he said.
“So it’s going to open up to a whole range of segments - there’s going to be people looking for something fresh and new and the Fijian spirit is unique.”

Fiji Airways will fly a triweekly international service between Cairns and Nadi Airport in Fiji.

Mr Barker said the route would give travellers further access to other parts of the South Pacific.

“It’s clearly a great option for our Pacifica community from Townsville, north, because Nandi is not only the obvious gateway to the beautiful and spectacular Fiji - it’s also the gateway to the Pacific communities, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Cook Islands,” he said.
“Fiji is going to be really important for those communities to connect with the Far North and providing convenience and way to get home from visiting family and friends.”

Regional General Manager Australia and Pacific Islands, Fiji Airways, John Nickel said the new service was part of the airline’s growing international network and commitment to making global travel more accessible.

Regional General Manager Australia and Pacific Islands, Fiji Airways, John Nickel said Fiji Airways was the first airline to offer a direct flight between Cairns and Fiji. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

“Not only does it make Cairns more accessible to Fijians, but it also offers a more convenient travel option for visitors from North America and further afield, giving them an easier way to experience the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef and wonders of FNQ,” Mr Nickel said.

“The flight schedule also allows for North Queenslanders to connect to our growing network and international destinations such as Fort Worth, commencing on December 20 (but also) Los Angeles, and San Francisco via a quick stop in Fiji.”

It comes after Cathay Pacific announced its return to Far Northern skies between December 17, 2024 and March 29, 2025 to cover the peak Christmas holiday period and Chinese New Year festivities.

Earlier this year, Singapore Airlines upsized its commercial craft to the Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 medium haul aircraft on the Singapore to Cairns route.

Air Asia also launched its first direct flight service from Cairns to Bali, in August this year.

Originally published as Cairns Airport to welcome new triweekly international route from Fiji Airways