AIRWAY SERVICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26607, 1 November 1947, Page 8

AIRWAY SERVICES

CONSIDERABLE EXPANSION INTERNAL AND ISLAND ROUTES P.A. WELLINGTON, Oct. 31. Three new services beyond New Zealand will be undertaken by the New Zealand National Airways Corporation as from November 1, the corporation announces. Short Sunderland flying boats will operate once a week between Auckland and Suva and fortnightly between Suva and Labassa. Douglas airliners will operate a return flight each Sunday between Auckland and Norfolk Island and a further service every second Sunday from Auckland to Norfolk, Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa and the Cook Islands. An additional return flight will be made fortnightly between Rarotonga and Aitutaki in accordance with traffic requirements. Beginning on November 17 the main trunk Lodestar service between Auckland and Dunedin and return will be supplemented throughout by a second ‘service with a third between Wellington and Dunedin. The present Dunedin-Invercargill service will be replaced by Dominie aircraft, with three return services daily. This will introduce the new facility of a daily service between Invercargill and Auckland, while the existing through flight between Auckland and Invercargill will be maintained. A further service between Invercargill and Wellington and Wellington and Invercargill will be provided in the afternoon. The Auckland-Christchurch direct service will be undertaken by Douglas airliners, leaving Auckland in the mornings with through connections from Dunedin and Invercargill. A further service will leave Christchurch in the mornings for Wellington and Auckland, and Auckland in the afternoons for Wellington and Christchurch. Electra aircraft will be reintroduced to the Cook Strait and Nelson-West-port sector of the West Coast services, with connections to and from Hokitika, operating twice daily between Wellington and Blenheim, once daily between Wellington, Nelson and Westport. These services will be supplemented with additional schedules by Dominie and Rapide aircraft. The corporation is awaiting delivery of further aircraft, when the services will be further increased.