Fiji - Transportation

During the late 1970s, Fiji completed a new highway between Suva and Nadi and constructed 885 km (550 mi) of rural roads. As of 2002, Fiji had 3,440 km (2,138 mi) of main roads, of which 1,692 km (1,051 mi) were paved. Registered vehicles numbered 3,329 in 2001. A private rail system of about 597 km (371 mi) serves most of the sugar-producing areas. Major ports are Suva, Lautoka, and Levuka. In 2002, Fiji had six merchant ships in service, with a capacity of 11,870 GRT. Inland waterways consist of 203 km (126 mi), of which 122 km (76 mi) are navigable by motorized craft and 200-ton barges. There were 27 airports in 2001, but only three had paved runways. An international airport at Nadi serves regularly scheduled flights to neighboring Pacific islands, Australia, and New Zealand, via Air Pacific. Fiji Air provides domestic and charter service. In 2001, 612,700 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international airline flights.