Suspension Of Qantas Flights To Djakarta

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30803, 15 July 1965, Page 10

Suspension Of Qantas Flights To Djakarta

The Qantas Boeing 707 service to Djakarta and Indonesia, will be suspended after today because urgent runway reconstruction work at Kemajoram poses safety problems for the big jet airliners.

A Qantas executive, who has discussed the reconstruction plans with the Indonesian Government, has been told that the work calls for the excavation of a trench 500 ft long, more than 130 ft wide and 5 to Bft deep at both ends of the existing 9000 ft runway and impinging on the existing strip. The effect would be to narrow the existing runway and create a hazard through the presence alongside of the deep foundation trench for the proposed new runway. The work will be tackled

progressively from each end of the runway and reconstruction is expected to last 12 to 13 months.

The effect of the runway reconstruction will mean that at present only the main strip will be closed. A 5000 ft runway at right angles to the long runway will be open for local traffic and smaller aircraft. The chief executive and general manager of Qantas (Mr C. O. Turner) said yesterday morning in Sydney that Qantas believed it was essential to maintain an air link with Indonesia. This would be possible with aircraft capable of using the other runway and details of these plans would be announced shortly.

Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.—Robert Leighton.