Future Flights To N.Z. Not Yet Decided

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30479, 29 June 1964, Page 9

Future Flights To N.Z. Not Yet Decided

“The Press" Special Service

AUCKLAND, June 28. Pan American Airways, the American airline affected by the air transport agreement signed in Wellington between New Zealand and the United States on Wednesday, is anxious to tie in its future jet flights through New Zealand with its round-the-world services. “Although the agreement gives Panam rights to fly to Christchurch as well as Auckland, I don’t know what the company’s intention is,” said Mr. W. L. Rolph, director in New Zealand for Pan American Airways. “1 don’t think our people know themselves. “We don’t know yet the routes we are going to fly,” he said. “Other problems have to be solved and agreements

have to be worked out with other countries." The use of both Auckland and Christchurch gave Pan American Airways a fair amount of flexibility, he said, but it was the route beyond New Zealand that had to be thrashed out. “Dead Ends” “There are a lot of dead ends which we have been facing in the Pacific all these years and they are not economic,” said Mr Rolph. “For example, at the moment we have a dead end in Tahiti and we can’t go on to Australia from there.”

Mr Rolph said the landing rights would' not include flying in to both Auckland and Christchurch on the same flight They would apply to different flights or as alternatives.

Conversely, he did not expect that Tasman Airways had been given the right to pick up and set down “local” passengers in American territory.