Singapore link starts Oct. 8

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 9

Singapore link starts Oct. 8

Singapore Airlines will begin its direct weekly service to Christchurch on October 8.

The first Singapore to Christchurch flight will arrive at 9.20 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8, after leaving Singapore on Tuesday afternoon. The flight will leave Christ-

church at 10.50 a.m. for Auckland and then to Singapore. The airlines’ general manager, Mr David Lee, said the service would undoubtedly attract more passengers from Europe and Asia to New Zealand.

“The great advantage for tburists visiting New Zealand’s South Island is that they will no longer have to retrace their steps back to Auckland for their onward flight,” he said. About 72 per cent of all international visitors arrived at Auckland last year, but only about 20 per cent arrived at Christchurch, mainly because of the inconvenience of making the connecting flight, said Mr Lee.

The small percentage of direct arrivals at Christchurch was a result of the city’s lack of direct services and the new service would mean big increases in growth in the number

of visitors to the South Island, he said.

The director of Christchurch Airport, Mr Hugh McCarroll, said that processing and passenger facilities could cope with the new service. However, expanding the terminal was essential to cope with the growing international traffic.

The airport could handle scheduled services but more than one Boeing 747 at a time caused problems. The Christchurch City Council’s airport and electricity committee recommended last week that a 10-week study into expanding the terminal be started and alterations could be finished next October, he said. The Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay, said the direct link to Singapore offered a good opportunity for Christchurch and South Island

manufacturers to take advantage of the opportunities which existed in the Asian market

Singapore Airlines could carry more than 20

tonnes of freight in its weekly service. “I am sure the exporters here will see new opportunities opening up to them,” Sir Hamish said.