Fiji Airways has extended international flight cancellations through to the end of August.[Source:eturbo]

Fiji Airways has extended international flight cancellations through to the end of August.

It says the continued cancellations are due to prolonged border closures and travel restrictions as a consequence of the pandemic.

While the current international schedule for August is cancelled, the airline is preparing a new network plan which will be announced once border restrictions ease.

Chief executive Andre Viljoen says the cancellation of August services will allow them to prepare and position a new updated international schedule for deployment as soon as practical.

Whether this will be in August remains to be seen says Viljeon.

However, he says they are encouraged by the recent move to ‘Phase 2’ for Fiji in its response to COVID-19, as well as a travel framework that allows for the creation of specific ‘air corridors’ with certain countries.

Viljeon highlights one such corridor under the framework is the ‘Bula Bubble with Fiji’s traditional markets – Australia and New Zealand.

He says this framework provides a clear path forward for the two countries to seriously consider opening borders to Fiji, thereby stimulating travel demand.

Viljoen adds a new network plan for international services that will see reduced flying and limited destinations internationally, as the world reels from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.