Filipe Naikaso 
[Source: Fiji Airways/Facebook]
Despite the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy generating only $2 million so far due to high internal demand, there are huge optimistic about future revenue potential.
Chief Executive and Managing Director Andre Viljoen states that the transformative impact of the academy, highlighting how it is poised to shift the airline’s training paradigm from an expensive external operation to an efficient, in-house system.
Viljoen says for years, sending pilots overseas for training cost the airline upwards of $10 million annually and in addition to this the costs of having crew away from their primary flying duties.
According to Viljoen at any given time, 15% of Fiji Airways pilots were stationed around the world, leading to a significant productivity loss of about three days per month per pilot.
Andre Viljoen [Source: Fiji Government/Facebook]
However, he stresses that the recent investments to the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy, is designed to address inefficiencies and drive substantial revenue growth.
“Well, so far it’s been very small, but the potential going forward is very big. Because now that we’ve got the four simulators and the two fixed devices, we will only use about 60% of the capacity, 40% we can sell. And normally they pay $400 an hour, US dollars, to use a facility like this.”
Viljoen says the vision for the Aviation Academy is clear, to transform it into a major revenue-generating asset while simultaneously boosting operational productivity.
As the academy continues to scale and attract external business, it is poised to become a cornerstone of Fiji Airways’ long-term financial strategy.
