Fiji Airways is the only airline operating in the small South Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Formerly called 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 globally, after the Vatican, Tuvalu has a land area of just 10 square miles and a resident population of around 10,600 individuals. Fiji Link, the regional branch of Fiji Airways, offers service on an ATR 72-600 aircraft, flying three times a week from Suva to Tuvalu. The flight takes approximately two hours.
Upon return to Suva, the airline offers various connecting flights to Nadi Airport, allowing passengers to access the broader Fiji Airways network.
Funafuti International Airport (FUN) stands out due to the limited space available on the island. When there are no flights scheduled, the runway is often utilized for sports and community events. A siren alerts residents when an aircraft is preparing to land, signaling them to steer clear of the 5,000-foot paved runway.
In the past, Tuvalu’s airport hosted two other international airlines: Air Marshall Islands operated a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 until 1999, and Air Kiribati provided a weekly service with its Bombardier Dash 8 100 until September 2021.