DEVELOPMENT OF AIRPORT

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 10

DEVELOPMENT OF AIRPORT

Contracts Total £450,000

Expenditure at Christchurch airport last year was higher than ever before. Including the terminal building contract, the city reached the substantial figure of £450,000 for contracts let, the airport manager (Mr A. I. R. Jamieson) said yesterday. Continuous reorganisation of ideas and plans to keep pace with modern aviation demands would be necessary to keep Christchurch international airport up to date, he said. “Much remains to complete existing work; new and improved parking plans are being completed to cope with the popularity of the new terminal building with both visitors and passengers,” he said. Mr Jamieson said that larger parking aprons for the increasing American Antarctic force planes would be provided. “But above all we must also continually plan to encourage maximum usage of what is undoubtedly a first-class airport,” he said. Jet Routes With the advent of jets on Pacific routes it could be that the city’s desire to establish a jet airfield would be fulfilled. “Already Pacific carriers are looking to extend their tourist demands to New Zealand and Australia and in late October 11 American carriers made their initial bids in public hearings before the Civil Aeronautics Board for a wide range of Pacific Ocean routes,” he said. Mr Jamieson said that one airline had stated it was prepared to reduce present fares by 20 per cent, and would seek in addition to other routes one from Los Angeles to Tahiti, Samoa, Noumea, New Zealand and Australia Hawaiian airlines were also seeking a triangular route between Los Angeles, Honolulu and Tahiti which would extend westward to New Zealand and Australia.

With the initial boost coming from the introduction of Viscount passenger airliners on the New Zealand air trunk routes and the extra stimulus of Wellington airport operation later, last year had seen record traffic at Christchurch, Mr Jamieson said. The airport handled 48,436 aircraft movements, 332.555 passengers. and 8500 tons of cargo.