Cyclone Vaianu grounds Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin flights in Fiji

All flights into and out of Fiji were cancelled or diverted on Tuesday as Tropical Cyclone Vaianu swept through parts of the South Pacific nation.

According to Fiji Airports, which manages Nadi International Airport — the country’s main gateway — all Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia flights to and from Nadi were cancelled, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

This included Qantas and Jetstar flights from Sydney, as well as Virgin Australia services from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Fiji Airways also suspended all scheduled flights to Australia for Tuesday. However, some services to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane operated with significant delays, according to aviation tracking site Cirium.

At least one Fiji Airways flight bound for Nadi that departed from Australia this morning was diverted to Nuku’alofa.

In a Fiji Airways update earlier today, the carrier also advised that all Fiji Link domestic services scheduled for Tuesday were also cancelled “due to current weather conditions associated with Tropical Cyclone Vaianu”. 

Yesterday, it told customers that it will be in “direct contact with all impacted guests to confirm updated travel arrangements and provide assistance”.

“We kindly request guests to update their contact details via ‘Manage my booking’ so our teams can best contact them,” it stated.

“The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority, and we thank our guests for their understanding.”

Nausori Airport, which services the capital city Suva, also reported that all flights into and out of the hub had been cancelled for Tuesday. 

In a message this morning, Fiji Airports advised customers to contact their airlines directly for the latest updates and assistance with rescheduling.

Flights for Wednesday are currently scheduled to operate in the country.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev