Samoa’s new international airline Samoa Airways and Fiji Airways have signed an agreement to jointly pursue a range of commercial opportunities.

Fiji Airways CEO, Andre Viljoen, said the MOU will allow Fiji Airways to assist Samoa’s new international airline operation to get up and running.

He said the objective was to get Samoa’s own airline to be independent and self-sufficient.

“The Pacific rim if I can call it, where we live, is ours, not foreign airlines.”

“It should be us controlling and dominating the airspace here and bringing the tourists in, and I’m very pleased that this is an important step forward in that direction, where we control our own future,” he said.

Polynesian Airlines chief executive, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, said Samoa was one of the growing economies in the Pacific, enjoying good growth but it needs more tourists coming in and he said the partnership with Fiji Airways offers access to markets in Europe, the US and Asia.