SUVA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Fiji Airways, the island nation's flag carrier, welcomed on Monday the first of its five Boeing MAX 8 jets at the Nadi International Airport.

Speaking at a welcoming ceremony for the Boeing MAX 8 named "Island of Kadavu," Andre Viljoen, managing director and CEO of Fiji Airways, said that Boeing MAX 8 is part of the airline's aim to continue growing by a targeted 8 percent every year, by adding new routes to the network and increasing frequencies to the existing destinations.

Fiji Airways became the first carrier in the Pacific Islands region to operate the Boeing MAX 8 model, a single aisle aircraft powered with more advanced and fuel-efficient engines.

Fiji Airways serves 13 countries and regions and 31 destinations or cities.