Airport Closed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31363, 8 May 1967, Page 1

Airport Closed

Christchurch Airport was closed to all DC3 traffic at 2.30 p.m. yesterday, and a Friendship and a Viscount flight had to return to Wellington without landing when light to moderate southerly winds and persistent rain brought the cloud ceiling down to ground level.

Only planes capable of making instrument-con-trolled landings and takeoffs were permitted tb use the airport, which was still closed at 9 p.m. By 7 p.m. live departures and six arrivals had been cancelled.

Overseas flights were not affected.

Five special flights will be made out of Christchurch today. Two had already been arranged to cope with the increased demand for flights ex-

pected to result from the railway strike. The other three were arranged last evening because of the airport’s closing. The special flights will leave for Wellington at 9 a.m., 7.40 a.m., 9.30 a.m., 4 p.m. and 4.15 p.m. Two other special flights will leave for Christchurch from Invercargill (5.55 a.m.) and Dunedin (7 a.m.).

The deputy branch manager of N.A.C. in Christchurch (Mr J. P. Glasson) said last evening that he did not know if the extra flights would compensate for the closing of Harewood. “We are very busy at this time of year with the start of the school holidays,” he said. “We will have to wait and see what the demand is like before arranging further flights.”