26 May 2020

Mass layoffs at Fiji Airways

From , 6:02 am on 26 May 2020

Nearly 800 people have been laid off from Fiji Airways, as the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic bites further.

Since March, most of the fleet has been grounded - bar a few repatriation or goods-only flights.

On Monday, the airline announced the pandemic had forced the airline to take what it called a drastic step, as the government looked to offer a significant loan to keep the national airline afloat.

Staff have been given 48 hours to return any Fiji Airways property and collect their belongings from offices.

The airline cuts adds to thousands of jobs being lost in tourism sectors across the Pacific, where calls are growing louder for some kind of tourism bubble to be opened with New Zealand and Australia.

The loudest call is from Fiji, where tourism accounts for about 35 percent of the country's GDP, and Australians and New Zealanders are about 75 percent of Fiji's tourists.

Attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Fiji is pushing hard to be included in any bubble.

The new Airbus A350 aircraft.

The new Airbus A350 aircraft. Photo: Fiji Government