AIR SERVICES INCREASE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29010, 26 September 1959, Page 14

AIR SERVICES INCREASE

Record Traffic Expected

Six Viscount passenger airliner departures each day from Christchurch are scheduled in the summer time-table of the National Airways Corporation. The corporation's Christchurch manager (Mr J. E. Davies) said yesterday the time-table would

come into effect on December 18. and would continue to January 31, 1960. , , Three Viscounts —one each based at Auckland. Wellington, and Christchurch—would fly between Auckland. Wellington and Christchurch, and between Christchurch and Palmerston North, Mr Davies said. Wellington, the pivot for internal airways operations, will have 9 Viscount departures on the schedule, and Auckland will have six. Christchurch services will leave at 7.30 a.m.. 9.20 a.m., 2.50 p.m.. 4.10 p.m. and 7.10 p.m. for Wellington and Auckland: at 11.10 a.m. for Palmerston North; and at 1.20 p.m. for Auckland direct. Eight Douglas airliner flights will leave Christchurch for Timaru, Dunedin or Invercargill each day, and will provide accommodation for incoming passengers on Viscounts from the north. A similar number of Douglas flights will arrive from the south to feed north-bound Viscounts from Christchurch. Blenheim Service “In past years, the Blenheim service operated through to Palmerston North and Hamilton, but in the light of increased services to North Island provincial airports. Christchurch - Blenheim DC-3 service will operate Christ-church-Blenheim-Wellington and return,” Mr Davies said 4 “All passengers for North Island provincial centres will be provided with Viscount connexions through either Wellington or Palmerston North, and the DC-3 services have been stepped where warranted.’’ Two Viscount aircraft will maintain Sunday flights to Wellington and Auckland, the last leaving Christchurch for Wellington at 8.15 p.m. Four DC-3 flights will operate to and from points south of Christchurch and provincial centres in the North Island will be introduced to their fifst scheduled Sunday operation. “Advance applications for bookings suggest that the holiday traffic will create a record. Reservations staff are busy clearing up the applications,” Mr Davies said.