PROVINCIAL AIR SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23131, 1 September 1938, Page 12

PROVINCIAL AIR SERVICES

The announcement of plans for the organisation of a regular air service between Auckland and Gisborne, via Tauranga .and Opotiki, is particularly welcome. With the passing of the passenger service by sea, Auckland had been reduced to road connection with Gisborne, whose rail and air connections were tending to make her look and travel southward. The balance should be restored in part by the new air service, which will constitute the northern half of a useful East Goast loop between Auckland and Palmerston North, touching at Napier on the southern half. It may be hoped that this feeder service is only the forerunner of others in the Auckland Province. Such development is necessary if Auckland is to hold her position as a great distributive centre. So far as air traffic goes, she is at present only the terminal for the national trunk route, while several services from north and south daily feed in to Wellington and Palmerston North. The new loop will help to correct the southward trend, bringing Auckland into closer touch with the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier. But the centre of South Auckland will remain without the service of regular air transport. It is surely an anomaly that such important centres as Hamilton and Rotorua remain off the commercial air map when smaller southern towns enjoy a daily timetable. Surely, also, the aeroplane has as necessary a mission to perform in removing the isolation of the Far North as it is already carrying out in the wilds of South Westland. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the lack of landing facilities, now preventing attention being given to this area, will be rectified without any delay.