Union Airways’ Record

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 61, 14 March 1938, Page 2

Union Airways’ Record

OVER A MILLION MILES Mr. N. S. Falla, chairman of Uniott Airwaj'S of New Zealand, Limited, announced on Saturday that the Palmerston North-Dunedin and Auck-land-Wellington combined have now flown more than a million miles. Up t» February 25, the mileage was 1,010,945 miles. S' During the past two years, the Palmerston North-Dunedin service ha* maintained a record unexcelled in any other part of the world. The figure* are as follow, from 16/1/36 to 15/1/38. Trips scheduled, 1476; trips flown, 1476; trips completed, 1458; percentage trips flown, 100 per cent.; percentage trip* completed, 98.78 per cent.; hours flown, 6049; miles flown, 724,920; passengers carried, 15,312; freight and excess baggage, 16,llllbs.; passengers’ baggage weight, 191,8241b5.; mails (from 16/3/36), 9C,0111b5.; freight, ton miles, 1810; mail, ton miles, 14,275; passenger miles, 3,405,555. The Auckland-Wellington service in* augurated on June 26 of last year ha* flown for only nine months, but during six months of this period has covered a substantial mileage with a remarkably high percentage of regularity. The figures for the six months are as follows, from 26/6/37 to 31/12/37: Trip* scheduled, 501; trips flown, 501; trip* completed, 497; percentage trips flown, 100 per cent.; percentage trips completed, 99.2 per cent.; hours flown, 1295; miles flown, 173,035; passengers carried, 4496; freight and excess baggage, 38171b5.; passengers’ baggage weight, 86,2241b5.; mails, 23,6931b5.; freight, ton miles, 422; mail, ton miles, 2526; passenger miles, 987,215. The combined services have achieved the remarkable record of over a million miles with a 98.99 per cent, regularity or trips completed. In each case 100 per cent, of the trips scheduled have been flown in full or in part. Combined services: Trips scheduled, 1977; trip* flown, 1977; trips completed, 1955; percentage trips flown, 100 per cent.; percentage trips completed, 98.99 per cent.; hours flown, 7344; miles flown, 897,955; passengers carried, 19,808; freight and excess baggage, 19,9281b5.; passengers’ weight, 278,0481b5.; mails, 119,7041b5.; freight, ton miles, 2232; mail, ton miles, 16,801; passenger miles, 4,392,770. Adverse weather conditions and storms have been responsible for all interruptions to the service, and it i* anticipated that with the introduction of directional radio equipment and improved aerodrome facilities, the abov* figures can be maintained and possibly improved. The great advance which has been made in New Zealand over the past two years in aerodrome construction and radio equipment has helped substantially towards the foregoiug result.