New Zealand permits B737 MAX operations once more

The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand has re-certified two of five Fiji Airways’ B737-8s, paving the way for the airline to resume flights to New Zealand using the aircraft.

However, the date for the MAX to be added to flight schedules between New Zealand and Fiji has not yet been decided given the evolving COVID-19 situation, the regulator said in a statement. Fiji Airways was not immediately available for comment.

All domestic Fiji Link (FJA, Nadi) passenger flights are grounded until July 4 in line with COVID-19 movement restrictions, while borders remained closed except for special repatriation flights out of the country.

Meanwhile, the B737 MAXs have been re-added to Fiji Airways’ Foreign Air Operator’s Certificate following the CAA approval. The airline’s remaining three B737 MAXs are still being scrutinised before they will be allowed to operate to New Zealand, the regulator said.

CAA deputy chief executive David Harrison said the regulator had worked closely with the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) to ensure the necessary safety improvements were made to Fiji Airways’ B737 MAXs. “We have thoroughly and independently reviewed the work undertaken by Fiji Airways to bring their B737 MAX back into service and are confident these aircraft are safe to return to operation,” he said.

This comes more than two years after the CAA first placed a condition on the airline in March 2019, preventing it from operating the MAX to New Zealand after two fatal accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Aviation regulators around the world put similar conditions in place at the time, which effectively grounded the global MAX fleet. Following system modifications, changes to procedures, and updated pilot training, the grounding was lifted in late 2020 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. This was followed by other regulators around the world, including in late March by those in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. On April 1, 2021, Fiji Airways announced accepting the return to service requirements for the MAX as stipulated by the CAAF.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Andre Viljoen, in an earlier statement, explained the airline was contractually bound to take the MAX but had re-negotiated and driven down monthly recurring fixed costs by about 50%. The penalties for breaking the contracts would have been much more severe than accepting and using the aircraft to earn revenue, he said.

Fiji Airways has been disposing of its 20-year old B737-800s since 2018, replacing them with the MAX. The first two MAX arrived in December 2018 and January 2019 respectively, the remaining three were due to be delivered by mid-2019. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the airline currently has four of the type, with one due for delivery. It also still has two B737-800s, as well as five A330-200s, one A330-300, and two A350-900s while Fiji Link operates one ATR42-600, two ATR72-600s, and four DHC-6-400s.

The MAX deal was announced as a 12-year sale/lease-back agreement with GECAS back in November 2016.

Viljoen said the aircraft would be the core of the airline’s fleet. “As soon as tourism and travel returns, these aircraft will be integral for our economic recovery. Fiji Airways is ready in every way for borders to re-open as soon as it is safe, and lead Fiji’s economic recovery.”