Fiji Airways Aviation Academy has achieved an impressive annual cost savings of $22.7 million. A major benefit of the academy is its capability to perform all essential training in-house. This encompasses initial type ratings, common type ratings, recurrent training, remedial training, and license conversions.
Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka shared this information in Parliament after being questioned about strategies to enhance the academy’s potential. He highlighted that by providing training internally, Fiji Airways has circumvented significant fees that would have been charged by external training providers.
“This approach ensures that every dollar spent on training stays within the company, which directly supports its financial stability,” Mr. Gavoka noted. He pointed out that in the past, pilots had to travel to international training locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Brisbane, Seattle, and Bangkok. This not only came with training costs but also imposed substantial expenses for accommodation and living expenses.
With the academy now operational, these costs have been completely removed, allowing pilots to complete all necessary training in Fiji and alleviating the financial burden of overseas travel.