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Fijians travelling home on a special Air New Zealand repatriation service on Friday face a gruelling month-long isolation when they arrive.
The 787-9 Dreamliner, NZ952 (pictured above), left Auckland on Friday at 11am and landed in Nadi just after 2pm local time.
However, Fiji has one of the most stringent coronavirus restrictions in the world, with returning citizens asked to stay in a government quarantine facility for 14 days and then to complete a further 14 days in home isolation.
The tough rules, which include a curfew between 10pm and 5am, along with limited flights, have meant many Fijians have been stuck in New Zealand for months.
Earlier this week, Australian Aviation photographer Emil Cooper caught the moment an A340-600 repatriation flight from Johannesburg landed in Brisbane – from 1,400 feet aboard an R44.
The special flight, SA2982, landed in the Queensland capital on 6 June and headed the other way on 9 June.
The flights mark some of the final designated repatriation flights as international airlines begin to resume commercial travel.
Singapore, Emirates and Qatar have all increased services, while airports such as Changi, Dubai and Hong Kong have all lifted their transit ban.
Paul
says:People in Fiji say that Air NZ had to do the flights because Fiji Airways sacked all the cabin crew a month ago and had no cabin crew to fly their own planes with passengers.
Avneel
says:Why is that even news? It is just a country trying to protect its citizens.
Peter Singh
says:Paul. You had better get your facts right before putting pen to paper. Not all staff were sacked at Fiji Airways. How do you think planes are flying to Hong Kong and Sydney and Auckland and also to Los Angeles? Those planes are not remote controlled.