Rongotai To Be Closed

Northern Advocate, 30 August 1947, Page 4

Rongotai To Be Closed

(Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Rongotai airport is to be closed “for the time being” and from September 27 all commercial air services will use Paraparaumu airport. This information was released by the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation (Mr Jones) yesterday. Rongotai, he said, did not comply with international standards of safety in its present state of development.

Before the war. when few commercial planes used Rongotai, it was practicable to ensure the highest degree of control and exclusive selection of personnel. Now, however, commercial traffic had increased enormously, and was still increasing, and higher safety standards had been laid down internationally. In its present state of development Rongotai did not comply with these. MODIFIED SCHEME Rongotai had many advantages, but its full development involved the provision of an unobstructed runway from Evans Bay to Lyall Bay and interference with residential areas, Rongotai College and existing transport. This full development could not be faced at the present time. However, the engineer to the Wellington City Council had recently submitted a modified scheme for the extension of Rongotai airport involving a minimum interference with existing interests, and this proposal was now being examined. If this scheme was approved, it would form part of the ultimate development of the aerodrome. Use of Paraparaumu will add about an hour to the travelling time between Auckland and Wellington. MAYOR’S COMMENT The Government had at last realised the serious continuing danger at Rongotai, said the Mayor (Mr W. Appleton). “There is no doubt,” said Mr Appleton, “that the Government has shown an attitude of procrastination and indecision in the development of Rongotai airport, and I feel that the decision now arrived at to operate commercial flying solely from Paraparaumu will only hasten the day when the Government must make up its mind to develop Rongotai airport, which from the past figures has proved itself to be the busiest airport in New Zealand, handling over 40 per cent, of both the passenger and freight traffic of the whole of New Zealand’s air services.

“In a way I welcome the Government’s decision, because it will bring home to the Wellington public the benefits of air travelling the public have enjoyed at Rongotai in recent years.”