Fiji Airways will resume its Nadi-Tarawa services tomorrow (April 9th) after Bonriki airport authorities confirmed that they have endeavoured to address serious safety concerns the airline had.
Fiji Airways has had to cancel services to Tarawa in the past two weeks due to a number of safety-related concerns that have arisen. These include the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) not being serviceable (a mandatory requirement for any runaway), non-availability of the required Rescue Fire Fighting Service vehicle at Bonriki Airport, infrequent safety inspection of the runway and airside boundary fencing and inaccurate information from airport officials to Fiji Airways flight crew.
The airline recognises the inconvenience caused by cancelled services, however, maintains that safety of its passengers and crew are of paramount importance. Regrettably, the airline is unable to accommodate passengers affected by services cancelled due to factors outside of its control. This includes cancellations due to bad weather.
Assurances have been given to the airline by Bonriki airport authorities that the required remedial work has been done to address the concerns. Two independent airline safety auditors out of New Zealand will be travelling to Tarawa tomorrow to ensure all safety concerns raised have been fully mitigated and the aerodrome is ICAO compliant.