TWICE A WEEK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 134, 4 December 1944, Page 5

TWICE A WEEK

TRANS-PACIFIC AIR TRIPS

RUGBY, December 3. The R.A.F. Trans-Pacific Serviceone of 11,250 miles over the largest single air route in the world—will henceforth be operated twice weekly in each direction by the R.A.F. Transport Command formation in Canada. The connections with the United Kingdom, East and.West Africa, and South America will be made by the services already being operated by the R.A.F. Transport Command. It is recalled that Air Commodore Griffith Powell captained the "Commando" Liberator with the inauguration of the first R.A.F. Pacific service between Montreal, San Francisco, Honolulu, Canton Island, Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, and return.

The United States Air Transport Command is providing facilities over United States territory and west to the jointly owned- Canton Island," while the R.N.Z.A.F. and R.A.A.F. are acting similarly in New Zealand and Australia. The two Dominions are taking all the responsibilities of which they 2re capable, and while the R.A.F. will operate the servicethe R.N.Z.A.F. and the R.A.A.F. will join in providing the crews.

The service is intended -to provide for a combination load of passengers and mail and freight necessary to the war effort.

At the personal request of the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, the aircraft operating the first service was escorted into Auckland by a fighter squadron of the R.N.Z.A.F., and on the return journey the crew and passengers were thei. guests of the New Zealand Government in Wellington.—B.O.W.