Nadi Airport terminal building. Photo courtesy: Fiji Airports website.
Fiji Airports has installed four aircraft docking guidance systems at Nadi International Airport to improve parking accuracy and help airlines prepare aircraft for their next departure. The units are part of a donation of 10 systems from Canberra Airport. The Australian Government helped cover the cost of transporting, installing and commissioning the equipment through its Australia–Pacific Partnerships for Aviation program.
The systems give pilots real-time visual guidance as they manoeuvre aircraft into parking positions at terminal gates. They measure the aircraft’s speed and detect deviations from the centre line with centimetre-level precision, helping pilots stop where ground crews can connect equipment and begin servicing the aircraft.
Fiji Airports expects the four units to be fully operational in 2027. FBC News reported the installation on 11 November. The announcement gave no timetable for the other six units and no estimate of how much time airlines could save at the gates.
Canberra Airport sent technical staff Mark Albaster and Rob Reardon to Nadi to assist with installation. They worked alongside Aram Amin from aviation technology supplier ADB SAFEGATE. Canberra Airport head of aviation Michael Thomson said the project gave proven equipment a second working life and allowed his team to share its technical expertise.
James Ramsay, executive director of the Australian aviation partnerships programme, said the installation showed how airports could extend the useful life of equipment while sharing the expertise needed to put it into service.
Fiji Airports acting chief executive Kelepi Dainaki described the installation as “an important step in strengthening our operational capability at Nadi International Airport”. He linked the upgrade to the airport operator’s wider effort to modernise its infrastructure and improve services for airlines.
For airlines, accurate docking helps ground crews start unloading baggage, cleaning and servicing the aircraft, and preparing for boarding. At Nadi, Fiji’s main international gateway, a more predictable arrival at the gate can also help airport and airline teams plan when it will be available for the next flight. The benefit will become clearer once the systems are fully operational and airlines can see how they affect turnaround times in daily use.
