BOOKINGS TO RONGOTAI

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28894, 14 May 1959, Page 24

BOOKINGS TO RONGOTAI

N.A.C. Viscount Schedule The National Airways Corporation will this morning open bookings for flights through the new Wellington airport at Rongatai. Operation for the first few months will be restricted to daylight flights for Rongotai (with a limitation of 20 aircraft movements there). The pattern decided on allows for the following flights from Christchurch:— Four Viscount flights to Wellington at 7.30 a.m., 9.40 a.m„ 2.50 p.m. and 3.45 p.m.; one Viscount flight to Auckland at 4.30 p.m.; one Viscount flight to Palmerston North at 11.10 a.m.; one DC-3' flight to Wellington at 11.20 a.m.; one DC-3 flight to Paraparaumu at 5.35 p.m.; one DC-3 flight to Hamilton by way of Blenheim at 11.30 a m. There are five DC-3 flights daily to the south, all connecting with incoming Viscount flights from the north. To Invercargill Direct Included in the south-bound DC-3 schedule is a new Christ-church-Invercargill direct flight which ■ leaves Christchurch at 11 a.m., and arrives at Invercargill at 1.10 p.m. On Fridays the time-table is supplemented by an additional late flight to Paraparaumu and another to Dunedin at 3.40 p.m. Passengers for all points between Wellington and Auckland except Hamilton will be catered for by the Viscount service as far as Palmerston North with DC-3 connexions provided from there. Northland (Whangarei, Kaikohe and Kaltaia) connexions will be made at Auckland using Viscount services from Christchurch. The week-day schedule provides a minimum of 568 seats each day from Christchurch. There are four Viscount flights from Wellington to Christchurch, the latest leaving Rongotai at 3 p.m. Travellers requiring later transport will use a DC-3 service leaving Paraparaumu at 6.30 p.m. Sunday operations will not use Rongotai airport (for staffing reasons), and the Sunday time-table is little different from the present schedule except for a mid-winter reduction by one north and one south-bound DC-3 flights from Christchurch.