Virgin Blue reshuffles Fiji capacity

Could Pacific Blue be off to Fiji? (Mehdi Nazarinia) — VB wants to re-allocate some Fiji capacity to Pacific Blue. (Mehdi Nazarinia)

The Virgin Blue Group has submitted an application to the International Air Services Commission (IASC) seeking to reallocate some of its Fiji capacity from V Australia to Pacific Blue ahead of the entry of Jetstar onto the route in March.

The application seeks to transfer 360 seats which had been allocated to V Australia to Pacific Blue as part of proposed schedule changes which would see V Australia Boeing 777-300ERs operate six times weekly services on the Sydney-Nadi route, with one Pacific Blue 737-800 service also on the route. In addition, Pacific Blue plans to add a third weekly frequency on the Melbourne-Nadi route.

“V Australia seeks the proposed variation following its experience in this market and in response to market circumstances, including the anticipated entry to the market of a new competitor, and to ensure more efficient use of the Group’s network and operational capacity,” the company said in its application.

V Australia’s Nadi services were the subject of a dispute with the Qantas Group, which had launched a competing application for the limited available capacity on the Fiji route, proposing to use Jetstar A321s to operate daily services. Jetstar is now planning to start four times weekly A320 services between Sydney and Nadi from March 29.