EAST COAST AIRWAYS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19549, 3 February 1938, Page 4

EAST COAST AIRWAYS

EXTENSION TO AUCKLAND NOT BEING CONSIDERED "WILL COME ULTIMATELY" ''We are not seriously considering going to Auckland at the present juncture, but we realise that ultimately that link will be joined up and we would like to handle it," said the chairman of directors of East Coast Airways, Limited, Mr. J. G. Nolan, in an interview this morning.

His attention was drawn to a statement made by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce that the company in Gisborne was giving consideration to the possibility of opening up a service to Auckland, via Rotorua.

The difficulty of securing planes suitable for the type of work was also stressed by Mr. Nolan. tories in England were engaged in the production of machines to meet the requirements of the Royal Air Force and it would be a long time before an orde r could be fulfilled, he said.

Companies operating commercially in Great Britain were using the larger type of planes, the size of which was not yet warranted in New Zealand, where the services were in their early stages. What would be required company when it extended its service north to Auckland would be a twin-motored machine with a cruising speed of about 150 m.p.h, If the company could place an order for six machines of a type such as that he had no doubt but that their requirements would be met. The demand for 'planes of similar specifications was not great enough, however, and an order for one or two 'planes would be prohibitive in cost if it could be met. The interview was concluded bv Mr. Nolan saying That his directorate was keeping the matter of the extension in mond, although they were not giving it their serious consideration at present.