Fiji Airways (FJ, Nadi) has been forced to suspend its services to and from Honiara by the government of the Marshall Islands following a dispute over air traffic rights. The Solomon Islands revoked the Fijian carrier's traffic rights after a Solomons - Solomon Airlines (IE, Honiara) flight to Nadi was denied landing permission over the weekend.
The dispute stems from an application by Fiji Airways for additional frequencies to the Solomon authorities which was rejected on the grounds that Honiara airport had neither the capacity nor the requested slots available.
“[The] Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI) is aware that Fiji Airways has applied to operate a second service to Solomon Islands on Saturdays beginning in July 2014. CAASI, being the Regulator in Solomon Islands had duly notified Fiji some months back that this particular service was not approved based on slots and some common understanding that two jet services on a Saturday to/from Nadi to Honiara was expressly overcapacity on that day. In addition to that, there have been long pending issues of ‘Rights’ that needed to be addressed prior to approving Fiji Airways' request,” George Satu, the director general of the Directorate of Civil Aviation of the Solomon Islands, told the Pacific Islands News Association.
However, the Fijian Government in its own statement pinned the blame on the Solomons claiming Honiara's decision to deny landing rights to two Fiji Airways flights over the past two weekends had warranted its revocation of Solomon Airlines' Fijian traffic rights.
