The two Fiji Airways Boeing MAX 8 aircraft have been moved to Australia.

Fiji Airways confirms the MAX 8’s were ferried from Nadi to Alice Springs, Australia earlier this month in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji.

General Manager Corporate Communications Shane Hussein says the ferry to Alice Springs is to allow the aircraft to be stored in a dry environment as the weather changes to wet season in Fiji, with a heightened chance of corrosion and cyclone activity in the region.

According to Hussein, both ferry flights were approved by all relevant regulatory authorities prior to departure.

Hussein adds that they were flown by experienced Fiji Airways Boeing 737 pilots and Boeing Pilots who completed extensive simulator training to prepare for these flights.

The two planes were grounded following the Ethiopian Airlines crash earlier this year that killed 157 people.