PACIFIC AIRLINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1946, Page 9

PACIFIC AIRLINES

AUCKLAND TO BE A TERMINAL ‘WWEt OF BRITISH PLANS (P.A.) AUCKLAND, October 17. New Zealand would be a terminal of the trunk service of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, and not merely linked with the San FranciscoSydney route by a feeder service, said Sir Leonard Isitt, chairman of the National Airways Corporation, who has returned to Auckland from a tour of civil aviation facilities at several Pacific islands. He said although it had been suggested that New Zealand’s conneation with the British trans-Pacific service might be only a feeder one flown by New Zealand aircraft between the Dominion and Fiji, he knew of no change in the original schedule, by which Auckland would be a trunk terminal. It was still intended that the fortnightly service of the B.C.P.A. should operate, between Auckland and San Francisco, and this would begin when agreement between the Australian and the United States Governments

over landing rights in the two countries had been reached, said Sir Leonard Isitt. Australian National Airways, "which was to operate an interim service until B.C.P.A. was ready to take over with British aircraft, had already begun flying between Sydne , and Vancouver, but until landing agreements had been settled, were running without traffic rights, and could not land passengers or mail at any American airport or at any of the American Pacific islands en route.

During the fortnight he .had been away from New Zealand, he had examined aerodrome and accommodation facilities’at Fiji, Samoa, Aitutaki, Rarotonga, New Caledonia, and Norfolk Island, Sir Leonard Isitt said. The airfields at these islands were on the route of the service at present operated by aircraft of No. 40 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F., but eventually to be taken over' by the National Airways Corporation. At all the aerodromes he visited the aviation facilities were adequate, but suitable and sufficient accommodation for passengers passing through was lacking. The Pacific services of the R.N.Z.A.F. would not be absorbed for some months yet. The chief reason for the delay was that it was taking some time to convert Air Force aircraft into comfortable civilian planes.