HIGH REGULARITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 107, 1 November 1940, Page 9

HIGH REGULARITY

TRANSPORT PLANES

INCREASED TRUNK SERVICE

AUCKLAND-DUNEDIN

The outstanding fact of airways services in New Zealand, from their very commencement has been their very high regularity. The percentage of flights completed more than compares well with figures of air transport success anywhere in the world. For the three months ended September 27 a 100 per cent. regularity was maintained on the WellingtonAuckland and Cook Strait services, and only one from Wellington to Dunedin was not completed within the time-table.

Nearly a million (906,645) passenger miles were flown in 857 flights by 7814 passengers. Mails totalled 19,5491b and freight 38,3701b. The Wellington-Dunedin run carried the biggest proportion of mail, 80271b, but Cook Strait had a long lead in freight, 33,2811b. ,

There has never been a let-up in the demand for seats in the planes, as many an inquirer on urgent business has found, but from Monday next a nearer return will be made to the main trunk services as they were before the requisitioning of machines and pilots and engineers for the Air Force necessitated reduction of services a y*ear or so ago. There will be a twoway trunk service between Auckland and Dunedin, via Wellington, from Tuesdays to Fridays, with a southbound service only on Mondays and a north-bound service only on Saturdays. The supplementary service between Palmerston North and Dunedin, via Wellington, introduced a few months ago as the best increase then possible, will be discontinued when the fuller service is running. There will be no Sunday service.

The Cook Strait services are not affected by the rearrangement on the trunk route.