Canberra Airport will once again receive international flights from July, with the launch of a new Fiji Airways service from Canberra to Nadi.

Commencing on 21 July 2023, Fiji Airways will operate two weekly Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights per week on the Canberra-Nadi route. The flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays, and begin just after the end of the winter school holidays. This will increase to a 3x weekly service from 1 October 2023 with the addition of a Sunday flight.

This is the full schedule:

• FJ951 Nadi 09:15 – Canberra 12:20
• FJ950 Canberra 13:35 – Nadi 19:40

Timed for connections to/from North America

The new schedule is convenient for holidaymakers. But the flights are also specifically timed for easy connections through Nadi between Canberra and Fiji Airways’ North American destinations. Fiji Airways flies from its Nadi hub to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. The airline also serves Honolulu and various destinations in the Pacific.

“Our services between Nadi and Canberra will also establish a convenient onward connection to North America, other South Pacific destinations and indeed the rest of the world. Travellers can also break up a long journey with a short stay in Fiji,” Fiji Airways CEO Andre Viljoen said.

Mr Viljoen added that the service will be made possible by the delivery of two new Airbus A350s to the airline.

“We will receive the first of our two new A350s in July, resulting in an immediate increase in capacity across our network. This means we will be able to dedicate more seats to the Australian market, specifically Canberra.”

The ACT government has been working to attract international services back to Canberra Airport after Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways pulled out during the pandemic. It even sent a trade delegation to Fiji last year.

“Prior to COVID-19, the US market was the second largest inbound market to the ACT for overnight visitation, and it was growing,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

“I’d like to thank Fiji Airways, the Fijian Government and Canberra Airport for working closely with the ACT Government to support the new Canberra-Nadi connection.”

Canberra has had a direct flight to Fiji in the past. Air Pacific (which rebranded in 2013 as Fiji Airways) served the Canberra-Nadi route briefly in 2004.

The current Fiji Airways destinations in Australia are Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Booking Fiji Airways from Canberra to Nadi

Economy Lite fares from Canberra to Nadi are currently on sale from $439 return on the Fiji Airways website. Note that these fares exclude checked baggage.

Fiji Airways recently unbundled its Economy fares. All tickets continue to include meals and in-flight entertainment, but the cheaper fares no longer include checked baggage or seat selection. Lite fares also can’t be changed.

Redeeming Qantas points on Fiji Airways

Alternatively, you can redeem Qantas Frequent Flyer points to book Classic Reward seats on Fiji Airways.

A return flight from Canberra to Nadi would cost 36,000 Qantas points in Economy or 83,000 Qantas points in Business Class, plus $235 in taxes. There are no carrier charges when redeeming points on Fiji Airways.

You could also redeem Qantas points to get from Canberra to North America in Business Class from just 108,400 Qantas points and $177 in taxes, one-way.

Fiji Airways is part-owned by Qantas and is a Oneworld Connect member. Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn points and status credits with Fiji Airways. However, Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members do not receive lounge access when travelling with Fiji Airways on an “FJ” flight number in Economy.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.