Fiji Airways to Cut More Than Half Its Staff, Seek Aircraft Payment Deferrals

A new Airbus XWB A350-900 of Fiji Airways takes off for its first flight at the Airbus delivery center, in Colomiers, near Toulouse, southwestern France, on Nov. 15, 2019. Pascal Pavani /AFP via Getty Images

SYDNEY—South Pacific carrier Fiji Airways said on May 25 it would cut 51 percent of its staff permanently as it negotiates with lenders and aircraft lessors for payment deferrals and seeks to arrange more debt financing due to the pandemic-driven downturn.

“The sad reality of prolonged flight suspensions means that we simply do not have work for a large segment of our workforce now, and for the foreseeable future,” Fiji Airways Chief Executive Andre Viljoen said in a statement.