A DAY SAVED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 69, 23 March 1937, Page 5

A DAY SAVED.

NEW ZEALAND MAIL.

AIR ROUTE TO ENGLAND. KAIL SECTION EXHUMATES. A day is beiug saved through an improved schedule of the air mail service which operates twice weekly in each direction between Australia and England. This has been made possible by an arrangement enabling the 'planes of Imperial Airways to fly the whole route between Singapore and Croydon.

Until February 21 last there was a gap which had to be covered by train across a portion of France from Paris, land through the whole length of Italy to Brindisi at its southern extremity. This flowed down the transit, with the result that the schedule time for air mails between New Zealand and London was 17 days. Now, with suitable transTasnian'connections, it has been reduced to 10 days.

The improved type of flying boat placed on the Croydon-Singapore route by Imperial Airways has been another factor in facilitating this acceleration in the time-table. 'Planes now leave Darwin on. Fridays aud Mondays, arriving at Croydon 12 days later, instead of 13 days involved in the combined train and air route. From Brisbane to Croydon is the longest air route in the world. It includes no fewer than 38

landing places. Leaving Brisbane there iare 12" stages in the 2000-mile journey across Australia to Darwin. The furtlier landing places beyond Darwin are Koepang, Kambang. Sourabaya, Batavia, Singapore, Penaug. Bangkok, Rangoon, \kvab. Calcutta, Allahabad, Cawn,.ore, Delhi, Jodhpur, Karachi. Gwadar, Behrein, Kuwait. Basra. Bag*<ul. <-aza, Alexandria, Athens. RrimliM. R<>;«ie, Marseilles, then direct to Loudon.