THE FIRST YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 150, 28 June 1938, Page 12

THE FIRST YEAR

AIRWAYS SERVICE WELLINGTON-AUCKLAND 1000 MILES DAILY The first year of operation of the Union Airways service between Wellington and Auckland was completed on Saturday, the service having been inaugurated at Palmerston North on Saturday, June 26, 1937, and schedule | flying having commenced on the [following day. Again, the outstanding feature, as with the Palmerston NorthDunedin, Cook Strait and East Coast Airways services, has been the extremely high regularity of service, for 99.16 per cent, of trips were flown to time-table. How regular the Lockheeds are in arriving and departing, Welling, ton people need no telling—one 'can set the watch and the family clock by them, and be not more than a minute out. During the eighteen months 8863 passengers were carried on the 1063 through trips, and short distance passengers (Wellington-Palmerston, Pal-' merston-New Plymouth, and New Ply-mouth-Auckland) numbered 15,304. Mails carried totalled about 24 tons (52,691 lbs) and freight and express parcels about five tons. The miles flown were 365,592, an average of just over 1000 daily and the hours flown were 2806. The time-table trips were 1077. All but two were flown (99.81 per cent.), and all but nine (99.16 per cent.) were completed, exceptionally bad weather conditions making inadvisable the flying of some sections on these occasions. Though the year was one of such marked regularity, it was heavily marred by the loss of the airliner Kotare when taking off from the Mangere aerodrome, Auckland, on May 11, with the loss of the lives of Commander C. M. Duthie and Second Officer W. J. Peel. The Kotare carried no passengers on that flight. Two more Electras have been ordered by Union Airways, but advice has not yet been received as to tha probable date of delivery. MERGER OF AIR LINES. East Coast Airways, which hag operated between Napier and Gis« borne since April, 1935, with the ex« ception of a period when extensions were being made to the Gisborna aerodrome, and which some month? ago were extended south to Palmer* slon North, will be taken over by Union Airways at the end of thia month, so that Union Airways and Cook Strait Airways will then con-» • trol the major air services of the Do* ; minion, centring upon Palmerstori i North and Blenheim, for through thesa i two aerodromes pass planes for tha ■ south, east and west coasts; for tha ■ north; and for Taranaki and Hawke'g : Bay. During the Hawke's Bay floods th« : East Coast Airways planes were tha sole means of transport between Gisborne and the south. Following that heavy period of flying, two of tha company's twin-engined Dragons have been undergoing their regular full overhaul, and the service has been maintained by one of the Union' Airways De. Havilland 86 four-enginedl planes, normally used between Pal» merston North and Dunedin.