AIR SERVICES

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 October 1939, Page 9

AIR SERVICES

AMENDED TIME-TABLES. [PEIE PIIESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, October 16. The Defence Department has taken t ver all the aircraft owned by Cook Strait Airways and Union Airways, except the- Union Airways Lockheed machines. This involves the suspension at once ’of the Auckland-Gisborne service and the cancellation of one trip each way on the service, between Wellington and Auckland.

I The Auckland-Gisborne service, which was opened last March, and has been maintained by Union Air ways de Havilland 86 airliners, has ceased operations. The* trip had been made Iri-weekly. aeroplanes leaving Auckland for Gisborne on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and returning on the following day in each case. I The amendment in the AucklandWellington service, maintained by the Lockheed machines, became effective to-day. There will be only one departure from Wellington to Auckland each day, at noon, and there will also be only one trip daily from Auckland to Wellington, leaving Auckland at S m.. and arriving at Wellington at 11 a.m. The 8.40 a.m. trip from Wellington and the mid-day trip from Auckland have been cancelled. Although these two trips have been suspended, the through service between Auckland and Dunedin will be maintained, a Lockheed leaving Wellington for Christchurch and Dunedin at 11.20 a.m. daily and another leaving Dunedin for Christchurch and Wellington at 8.30 a.m. daily., as at present. The taking over of the aircraft by the Defence Department will also later involve the suspension of the Gis-borne-Palmerston North air service operated by Union Airways and a considerable modification of the service between Wellington, Blenheim, and Nelson, operated by Cook Strait Airways. The Cook Strait service timetable is unaffected for the time being. Tt is understood that the Dragon Rapides with which this service is maintained, will run as at present until early in November. Arrangements are being made to maintain a service across Cook Strait after that date. The Palmerston North-Blenheim-Christchurch service was the first of the Union Airways services to be affected; it has not been operated since September 15.