Fiji is South Pacific

Aerial Crossroads Seven International Airlines Use Airports in Colony

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, May 2

SEVEN overseas airlines now terminate in or pass through Fiji.

On Anzac Day (April 25), the first plane in the new A’uckland-Vancouver service operated by Autsralian National Airways under contract to British Com monwealth Pacific Airlines circled over Suva before going on to land at Nadi airport.

The passengers included the managing director of Australian National Airways (Mr. Ivan Holyman), and Mrs. Holyman, the Australian Air Minister (Mr. A. S.

Drakeford) and Mrs. and Miss Drakeford, and the New Zealand Trade Commis sioner in Canada (Mr. J. Thom).

The new service, which completes the last link in the all-British round-the world air route, is being maintained by ANA Skymasters until new aircraft are available and BCPA takes over. Fort nightly flights are scheduled, planes ar riving at Nadi from Auckland on alter nate Fridays and leaving Nadi on the return flight from Vancouver on alter nate Tuesdays.

ANA planes from Sydney arrive at Nadi every Monday morning and leave for Vancouver on Monday evenings. Van couver-Sydney planes arrive and leave on Tuesday.

Pan American planes will shortly be arriving at Nadi on their Sydney-San Francisco service twice weekly. The south-bound service, Frisco-Sydney, will also be twice weekly and the PAA Auck land-San Francisco service will be call ing once weekly on each of northbound and southbound trips.

Qantas Empire Airways maintain ap proximately a fortnightly flying-boat ser vice between Sydney and Suva.

Finally, there are the two Royal New Zealand Air Force services operated by the Air Force as a stopgap until New Zealand National Airways takes over.