MANAGER OF NANDI AIRPORT ON TOUR

Press, Volume C, Issue 29637, 6 October 1961, Page 12

MANAGER OF NANDI AIRPORT ON TOUR

The terminal manager of Nandi International Airport yesterday had his first loox over Christchurch Airport and said it was the best -if several he had seen in various parts of the world. He is Mr J. Toganivalu, a 6ft 4in Fijian, who is in the Dominion for 14 days studying airport administration „nd terminal operations. Mr Toganivalu was appointed to his position in February last year when the Nandi terminal building opened a her the airport’s reconstruction. Mr Toganivalu said his visit was of particular interest in that while Nandi airport was rut by the Civil Aviation Administration those in New Zealand were the respons ibility of city councils The Dominion's arrangement, he said, was by tar the more satisfactoiy “The operation of an airport is a highly-com nercialised business and to dee! with it effectively its running should be in the hands of a com-mercially-minded body rather

t than a Government with its t consequent red tape,” he said Nandi was basically a ; transit airport through which J operated five airlines, yet froi.i a purely commercial view- • point it was not functioning very successfully, he said, i This was one of the reasons ; wh_- he was in New Zealand. Mr Toganivalu arrived in I New Zealand on Monday and - in Christchurch on Wednes- > day. He has already looked I at Wbenuapai airport and I text Monday will see Wel- - lington Airport. He spent yesterday with his 1 opposite number at Harewond i (Mr A. I. R. Jamieson*. I Although it was M" i Toganivalu's first visit, to Harewood be and Mr Jamieson had met several times i before. ■ Mr Jam eson was once a i Fleet Air Arm pilot whose job was to fly troops into the I Malayan jungle aboard heli i copters Mr Toganivalu was serving in the Fiji Battalion I a! the time and several times was flown into jungle opera - tions by Mr Jamieson.