The Fiji Airways Aviation Academy reportedly saves the company $22.7 million each year. A key benefit of the Academy is its capacity to provide all essential training in-house, which encompasses initial type ratings, common type ratings, recurrent training, remedial training, and license conversion.
Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka discussed this in Parliament, addressing inquiries about strategies for expanding the Academy’s potential. He noted that by conducting training internally, Fiji Airways has successfully avoided considerable expenses that would have been charged by third-party training providers.
“This strategy ensures that each dollar invested in training stays within the company, enhancing its financial stability,” Mr. Gavoka explained. He added that in the past, pilots had to travel to various international training centers located in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Brisbane, Seattle, and Bangkok, incurring not only training fees but also substantial expenses for accommodation and living costs.
With the Academy now established, these additional financial burdens have been completely removed, allowing pilots to complete all required training in Fiji. This shift has significantly reduced the costs associated with traveling abroad for training.