Pacific Air Services

Pan American Promise a Start in February

IT has been definitely announced that the Pan-American Airways Trans pacific weekly service, between San Francisco and Auckland, via Fiji and New Caledonia, will be resumed at the end of January next.

There is probability that the service will be extended from New Caledonia to Aus tralia.

A Trans-Pacific service, conducted by the RAF, which carried some civilian pas sengers and mails, was discontinued in November. Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have been trying to proceed with their joint plan for a Trans-Pacific service but little progress has been made.

Australia reported that suitable aircraft were unobtainable.

Trans-Pacific air services are most ur gently needed, for both passengers and mails. The people concerned are indif ferent as to what country or corporation runs them, so long as the services are provided.

The two “survey” flights made by a Qantas machine from Sydney to Suva, via Brisbane and Noumea, aroused high hopes in all the countries concerned that this service would become permanent. There seemed to be plenty of business avail able. But no announcement has been made.