MAIL AND PASSENGER SERVICES

Southland Times, Issue 23634, 8 October 1938, Page 3

MAIL AND PASSENGER SERVICES

SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS OF UNION AIRWAYS (United Press Xssociation) WELLINGTON, October 7. Since the inception on January 16, 1936, of a mail and passenger service between Palmerston North and Dunedin, via Blenheim and Christchurch, Union Airways of New Zealand, Ltd., have carried 21,878 passengers, and the DHB6 air liners operated on the interisland route have travelled 981,596 miles. Since the inception of the company’s Wellington-Auckland service, file Lockheed Electras have carried 10,423 passengers, the miles flown being 433,958. This service was inaugurated on June 26, 1937. Statistics of the company’s operations from the dates when both services were inaugurated to September 30 last, disclose a steadv increase in mail, passenger and freight traffic. On the Palmerston North-Dunedin service, a frequency of 100 per cent, was maintained, 98.85 per cent, of the trips being completed. On the WellingtonAuckland ' service, the frequency i was 99.76 per cent., 99.13 per cent, of trips being completed. The Wellington-Dunedin service will probably be inaugurated on October 22, and., on that date it is expected that the company will start an extra daily trip between Gisborne and Napier. Under the new summer schedule, Timaru was to have been a calling place for Lockheeds operating on the Wellington-Dunedin service. The aerodrome at Timaru, however, is not yet ready. Later in the year, the WellingtonAuckland service will be duplicated, and a feeder service will be inaugurated among Hawera, Wanganui and Palmerston North.