Five Kiwi couples married mid-air sets world record for highest altitude wedding
Friday 9 August 2013, 1:00PM
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Fiji Airways, Fiji’s national airline is the newest holder of a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title, soaring to 41,000 feet to set the record for the world’s ‘Highest Altitude Wedding on an Aeroplane’.
Five Kiwi couples exchanged vows this week (7 August) at 41,000 feet above sea level aboard a brand new Fiji Airways A330 to attain the record. The minimum altitude required to set this new world record was 40,000 feet.
To mark its brand launch, Fiji Airways, formerly Air Pacific, set out on a search for five couples to get married on board its flagship A330 aircraft on a flight from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji. More than 440 New Zealand couples entered hoping to be one of the lucky couples to be married in the business cabin, and to win a complimentary stay in Fiji to enjoy their honeymoon courtesy of the Radisson BLU Resort Fiji Denarau Island and The Westin Denarau Island Resort and Spa Fiji. The Traditional Fijian masi artwork found inside the newly designed cabin and friendly Fijian cabin crew helped create an elegant celebration on board.
The record was made official by Guinness World Records adjudicator Chris Sheedy, who joined the couples on their flight to Fiji. The adjudicator verified the altitude and the wedding ceremony in New Zealand airspace, and awarded Fiji Airways with the record immediately.
Fiji Airways Acting Chief Executive Aubrey Swift said the airline was excited to claim a Guinness World Records achievement.
“This was a unique idea to get five couples married on board, in our bid to raise awareness of the new airline branding and of Fiji as a wedding and honeymoon destination,” said Swift. “With our new brand identity and service, based around an authentic Fijian experience, a couple’s Fijian wedding really can start the moment they set foot on board. We’re delighted that we were able to set a new Guinness World Record. We kept this as a surprise for our five couples and it was great to see their reaction when they found out they were part of this world record.”
Thousands of couples travel to Fiji every year to tie the knot but only the five lucky winners will be able to claim getting married aboard a record setting flight en route to their honeymoon.