Ten Airlines Operating In South Pacific

Press, Volume C, Issue 29508, 9 May 1961, Page 20

Ten Airlines Operating In South Pacific

"The Fress' Special Service

AUCKLAND, May 8. These consist of the main international lines and several smaller, domestic services. At least 12 major islands in all the main groups are interconnected, and joined to New Zealand through Auck. land and Australia through Sydney. North of the Equator the services go through Honolulu or direct to Los Angeles. The latest to join the group is Polynesian Airlines. Two Percival Prince aircraft, which had been used for survey work in East Africa, recently arrived at Apia in Western Samoa. They will fly the 100 miles to Pago Pago in American Samoa.

The Suva-based Fiji Airways, which is mainly a domestic operator, soon will "xtend its services to include Honiara, about 1000 miles away, on Guadalcanal in the British Solomons group. Inaugurated in 1951 by Mr Harold Gatty for the Fiji Government, Fiji Airways runs a service between the Nandi and Nausori airports on opposite coasts of the main island, Viti Levu, as well as to other islands in the group.

When Mr Gatty died in 1957, the airline passed into the hands of the New Zealand, Australian and British Governments, a third share each, with T.E.A.L. and Qantas controlling services. A fortnightly service is also run to Tonga, previously served by T.E.A.L. flyingboats.

New Caledonia, connected since 1957 with New Zealand and Australia by the French

airline T.A.L. has its own domestic service, Transpac. This company runs services throughout New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, including the lie des Pins. Apart from its international routes, T.A.L. also runs services to Santo and Vila in the New Hebrides and the French-controlled Wallis Island, between Fiji and Samoa. The main T.A.L. route is through Sydney, Noumea. Fiji, Tahiti and on to Honolulu. or to Los Angeles direct, with a weekly service between Auckland and Noumea.

Another small airline, R.A.I. operates a tri-weekly service from Tahiti to the near-by islands of Raiatea and Bora Bora.

The responsibility of opening up the South Pacific went to T.E.A.L. In 1950 it ran the Auckland-Suva flying boat service, and went to Lambasa.

The Tahiti service, via Fiji and Aitutaki in- the Cook Islands, began the next year. Ip 1952, Apia was included in the Coral Route

Tonga was brought into the service in 1953.

Qantas planes fly through New Zealand and up to Nandi en route to Honolulu and Britain. Canadian Pacific Airlines flies a similar route. Pan American Airways flies north through Nandi to Honolulu, or through Samoa and Canton Island. South Pacific Airlines, which operates north from Tahiti to Honolulu, has applied to extend its opera, tions to the mainland and possibly beyond Tahiti in the South Pacific.