Fiji Airways to fly Boeing 737 Max 8 planes on Nadi-Adelaide route

Fiji Airways has become the first carrier since the Lion Air crash to take delivery of a new Boeing 737 Max 8.

Fiji Airways has taken delivery of a new Boeing 737 Max 8.

Fiji Airways has become the first carrier since the Lion Air crash to take delivery of a new Boeing 737 Max 8 which it plans to use on services between Nadi and Adelaide.

Flights using the new aircraft will begin in mid to late December, as part of a fleet modernisation process for the airline.

Despite concerns being raised about a feature of the 737 Max 8 which is thought to have played a role in the Lion Air crash on October 29, a Fiji Airways’ spokesman said they had full confidence in the Max.

He said pilots had undergone additional training on the Max 8 from the manufacturer Boeing.

“The safety and comfort of our guests and staff is of utmost importance, and Fiji Airways, in collaboration with Boeing and state regulators, is following a rigorous and comprehensive induction process for its new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft,” said the spokesman.

“The airline, in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji, made the decision earlier in the year to ensure all pilots conduct additional simulator and line training before they operate the 737 Max.”

It comes as reports emerge of Lion Air threatening to cancel its $22 billion standing order for another 190 Boeing jets following a war of words about the recent tragedy.

Reuters has reported Lion Air co-founder Rusdi Kirana is angry about what he considers to be Boeing’s attempt to deflect attention from recent design changes and blame the airline for the crash.

A preliminary report on the crash released last week, showed the 737 Max 8 should not have been allowed to fly after experiencing serious technical issues on previous flights.

However the maintenance engineer in Jakarta failed to brief the pilot on the extent of the issues.

Contributing to the problem was the addition of the MCAS on the 737 Max 8, which issued repeated nose down commands in response to erroneous angle of attack information, forcing the pilot into a “tug of war” with the plane for part of the ill-fated flight.

Indonesia and US pilots have accused Boeing of not including details of the MCAS function in its flight crew operating manual for the aircraft.

Fiji Airways’ spokesman pointed out the Max family was the fastest-selling in Boeing history, with about 4800 orders received from more than 100 customers worldwide.

Virgin Australia is due to take delivery of its first Max 8 late next year.