CHAIN OF AIR ROUTES

Evening Star, Issue 23444, 8 December 1939, Page 11

CHAIN OF AIR ROUTES

PACIFIC A VITAL LINK PLANS FOR TASMAN SERVICE [Pee United Pebss Association.] AUCKLAND, December 7. The opinion that the Pacific would provide one of .the main air routes of the world was expressed by Mr H. 0. Touchen, chief of' Tasman Empire Airways, who arrived at Auckland, this week to take over active supervision of the work in this country. “ Already the time is arriving when the Pacific has got to be regarded as an air route of importance to the Empire,” he said. “ In the meantime, the Tasman service will provide information that will be useful when we come to tackle the job. When that is accomplished we will have the world linked up in a big chain of air routes. A big organisation will be required, and if it is based here in New Zealand, as we all anticipate, it will be the biggest in the world. If it does not take place, I, for one, will be very much disappointed.” Mr Touchen said ho would not comment on the plans for the Tasman service That matter was not in his hands. Asked about the delivery of flying boats of the Aotearoa type that were to he used on the service, he said that one more_ would certainly be arriving, hut he did not know about the third.