Qantas To Renew Application

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30487, 8 July 1964, Page 1

Qantas To Renew Application

. Qantas Empire Airways, Ltd., hoped to operate a Tasman jet service to Christchurch before the end of. this year; said the airline’s deputy chief executive (Captain R. J. Ritchie) in Christchurch yesterday.

He said that another application—on a government-to-governmeut level—would be made within three months seeking permission to operate through Christchurch. “As soon as this is granted we are ready to begin operations,” he said.

Captain Ritchie said that an application was made before the last General Election, and the airline’s submissions were put before the committee that in May inquired into the use of Christchurch Airport. The first was declined, and the second seemed to have come to nothing. Captain Ritchie reiterated that the airport was a good one and that his company could operate through Christchurch as it was at present. What the New Zealand Civil Aviation Department thought was a different matter, and one on which he could not comment.

Asked whether Qantas intended to lower fares across the Tasman, he said that his company would be happy to do so if T.E.A.L. would agree to do so also. It appeared that T.E.A.L. did not feel the time was opportune. The Tasman service had to pay for “the whole T.E.A.L. show,” and so the level of profitability was more important to the New Zealand airline than it was to Qantas with its much greater operations.

Captain Ritchie- said that Qantas plans to start a new service to London in December by way of Fiji, Tahiti (a technical stop), Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Bermudas. The only factor likely to prevent the start of the opera-

tion was the airport at Acapulco, Mexico, which was not yet ready.