New Control of Islands
p. 40 · Read in the full issue
Air Services NZ National Airways Takes Over from RNZAF
From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, November 16.
SINCE November 1, the New Zealand National Airways Corporation has been operating the flying-boat and landplane services between New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa and the Cook Group, and the Auckland-Norfolk Island- Fiji service.
One of the visible signs of the change over from Royal New Zealand Air Force operation to NZNAC control, has been the opening of a modern, well-appointed regional office in the W. R. Carpenter building in Suva, with a regional man ager (Mr. T. O’Connell) in charge.
Mr. O’Connell said, when he took over, that the RNZAF has done an excellent post-war job in maintaining a quasi-civil air service in the face of heavy diffi culties and innumerable problems.
Many of the members of the air crews and ground staffs of the Air Force Islands services have been incorporated in the new corporation’s system, after qualifying, with Air Force assistance, for positions in civilian aviation.
Mr. O’Connell has stressed that every aircraft must now comply with the civil requirements laid down by ICAO, which, he said, “are sufficiently stringent to ensure the maximum of safety.”
The scale of fares has been set by the New Zealand Government and the in auguration of the new service was cele brated with a 10 per cent, reduction on return fares.
THERE is a weekly Auckland-Suva ser vice, with provision for additional
schedules according to traffic require ments. The Suva-Labasa (Vanua Levu) service, inaugurated this year, by the Air Force Sunderland flying-boats, will be maintained on a fortnightly basis, but will become a weekly service when proper facilities are installed at Labasa.
The “second string” air route by way of Norfolk Island, formerly run once monthly by Dakota, is also a weekly ser vice now, giving two regular planes a week on the Auckland-Fiji run.
The fortnightly service from Fiji to Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Group (Aitutaki and Rarotonga) will start from Nausori on Tuesdays, as previously.