The 737-8FE, VH-YIQ msn 39925, departed Sydney Airport at 10:52am on 16 December as flight VA183 and landed in Nadi at 4:34pm local time.
The Australian flag carrier will initially place an order for 20 A321XLR (extra long-range) and 20 A220s but will have the option to purchase a further 94 over ten years as its 737-800s and 717s are phased out.
Why has the Commonwealth government suddenly decided to retire the Taipan fleet after years of well-documented trouble?
Passengers are able to fly in and out of Auckland for the first time since August after the city’s lockdown and border restrictions were significantly downgraded.
It comes after the flag carrier switched its London services from Perth to Darwin, and criticised the state's “conservative border policies”.
The Sydney-based business manufactures products to detect and jam enemy drones and said it would provide the mystery country with a variant of its autonomous DroneSentry system.