Fiji Airways is the only airline operating flights to the small South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. Previously known as the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is situated between Hawaii and Australia and consists of three reef islands and six atolls located west of the International Date Line.
As the second least populous country after the Vatican, Tuvalu covers an area of merely 10 square miles, with a permanent population of around 10,600 individuals. Fiji Link, the regional branch of Fiji Airways, operates its ATR 72-600 aircraft for flights between Fiji and Tuvalu, running the service three times a week from Suva. The flight duration is approximately two hours.
Upon returning to Suva, the airline offers several connecting flights to transport passengers to Nadi Airport, linking them to the larger Fiji Airways network. Funafuti International Airport (FUN) is particularly noteworthy, given the island’s limited space. When flights are not scheduled, the runway is often utilized for sports and community events. A siren alerts residents when a plane is preparing to land, signaling them to clear the 5,000-foot paved runway.
Historically, Tuvalu’s airport also welcomed two other international carriers: Air Marshall Islands operated a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 until 1999, and Air Kiribati offered a weekly service with its Bombardier Dash 8 100 until September 2021.