RECORD EASTER TRAFFIC EXPECTED AT HAREWOOD

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28550, 1 April 1958, Page 3

RECORD EASTER TRAFFIC EXPECTED AT HAREWOOD

Five thousand persons are expected to pass through Christchurch International Airport during the Easter holiday period Record bookings have been received by the National Airways Corporation which expects at least a 10 per cent, increase in the peak amount of travelling during Easter last year. Between the time holiday traffic begins on Thursday and ends the following Wednesday, about 2000 departures from Christchurch have been arranged by the corporation. Approximately the same number of persons will arrive in Christchurch on scheduled and special flights and there will be about 1000 transhipments. Thursday will be a peak day with eight special flights scheduled in addition to the normal timetable of 15 flights leaving Christchurch. Good Friday will be a normal flying day augmented with four special flights. On Monday, April 7, there will be seven specials in addition to the 14 flights normally flown and on Tuesday seven specials as well as the 15 normal flights. Sea Bookings

Inter-island sea travel space is heavily booked and yesterday the Union Steam Ship Company re ported that sailings from Lyttel ton to Wellington in the steamei expresses were fully booked on Thursday, and on Easter Monday and Tuesday. There was plenty of motor-car accommodation on all sailings and ample cabin accommodation tor passengers on Good Friday and

Saturday sailings from Lyttelton Only limited passenger accom modation is left for tomorrow s sailing to Wellington, and bookings south are reported to be heavy also. The Union Company said that no daylight services would be run by the steamer expresses and connecting trains from Christchurch for the night sailings are the same as usual.

The Maori takes 960 passenger* and the Hinemoa 910. Waiting lists are being kept for heavily-booked sailings and the company said it was manag.ng to place most late applicants in cancelled berths. Railways Extra trains will run to Dunedin on the Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday. They will leave Christchurch at 9 a.m. and 10.5 p.m. on the Thursday, and at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 4, Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8. West Coast passengers will be catered for by two extra train* on the Thursday at 6.45 p.m. and 10.3 p.m. An additional train will leave Christchurch at 6.45 p.m. on the Monday, and a relief express will run on the Tuesday, leaving at 10.5 a.m. An extra train will leave for Picton at 10.35 p.m. on the Thursday. Bookings were filling rapidly, said a Railways spokesman yesterday. All bus services have been augmented, and for some services departure times have been de layed to suit people who are working.