Air-India Urged To Use Christchurch Airport

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30192, 25 July 1963, Page 12

Air-India Urged To Use Christchurch Airport

Air-India is to be asked by the Canterbury Progress League to consider using Christchurch's international airport on its new Boeing 707 jet service between Sydney and Fiji next April, rather than by-pass New Zealand. The airline will be informed that the airport will be fully capable of handling the Boeings four months before the service is introduced. .Members of the league were told at the annual meeting last evening that the vicechairman of Air-India (Mr B R Patel) had said his company would be forced to bypass New Zealand because Mange re airport would not be ready in time. Canterbury’s former Public Relations Officer (Mr E. G. Beckett) said be felt the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McAlpine) should be kept informed and asked for support It would be a waste of public money not to use the facilities at Christchurch airport, he said. “The prevailing trend seems to be that everything must stop until Mangere is ready." said the retiring president (Mr B J. Drake) Boeing 707 aircraft had used the airport in the past and as aU the facilities were available, there appeared to be no reason why

they should not use it on a regular service, he said. A motion .hat the airline be given the full tacts about the airport was carried.