Fiji’S New Airport Will ‘Make’ Suva And

Help Tourist Trade

Surprise Rejection of Nadi and Selection of Suva Point

THE announcement, early in December, that the international air authority had recommended the selection of Suva Point, only two miles from the town of Suva, to be the site of Fiji’s great international airport, came as a complete surprise. But it gave great pleasure to all Fiji’s well-wishers, and especially those with enough vision to see what this development will mean to the future city of Suva.

It had been generally assumed that the selection would go to Nadi, in the dry northwest zone of Viti Levu, 15 miles from Lautoka and over 130 weary miles from the Colony’s administrative and commercial centre, at Suva. This, probably, was because the New Zealand air authority, in charge of Fiji airways generally, had spent so much money recently on Nadi improvements.

It is now disclosed, however, that Nadi is to be used exclusively as a military airport.

Nadi would have provided a good in ternational port—usually dry, and open in nearly all weather. Experienced air men. however, usually looked askance at the ring of uglv mountains encircling Nadi Bay—some miles back, but near enough to be very dangerous if the area were blotted out in bad weather.

Nadi’s great disadvantages as a civil airport were its isolation, and the poor impression of Fiji received by the trans pacific traveller landed there in the

middle of a featureless and comparatively arid plain. It is some 15 miles from Lautoka. Suva, which really has unique interest and beauty, as well as being the country’s nerve-centre, is a full day’s drive away.

THE experts who made the choice evidently gave their attention par ticularly to Nausori (14 miles from Suva) and the two areas close to Suva —Laucala Bay and Suva Point. They very wisely took the view that, as they were to select an area thereabouts so as to be close to Suva, they might as well be as close as circumstances permitted.

Hence the Point election —which means that the airfield will lie just eastwards and northwards of Government House and the Grand Pacific Hotel, and within two miles of Suva Post Office.

Nausori doubtless was rejected because, after all, it is little more than a crudely formed airfield in the middle of the Rewa River country, which has ex perienced inundation. Why put the air field at Nausori when, with comparatively little extra cost, it could be put at Suva Point?

OIOME critics take a gloomy view of the O airport’s future. They say it is vulnerable from land, air and sea and that, included with Suva, with its Government and commercial buildings, it forms a compact little target for the delight of the enemy. They must suffer from a wartime psychosis. Why consider everything in terms of war?

Air transportation is the transportation of the future: and any planner with any

vision at all will try to place his airport as near as possible to the distribution centre for passengers and goods.

Unfortunately, most of the world’s cities were built before airports were visualised; and so the aircraft, ever grow ing in size and numbers, must be landed so far from the centre to which they are directed that much of the convenience and economic advantage is lost. The air traveller, cursing the long bus-ride from the airport to Melbourne or Auckland, does not see any advantage in the de fence angle. The man who lands at Mascot, and reaches his hotel within a comparatively few minutes, is happy that Sydney’s airport is so happily placed within her huge metropolitan area.

SUVA’S airport designers are planning for the long future; they can afford to ignore the howls of the few ob structionists, and to think of the great advantages of the situation.

Suva has been well described as “the cross-roads of the South Pacific ’. In the decades to come, as more and more trans pacific air travellers land at Suva Point, and reach Suva’s busy side-walks within ten minutes, and admire the shining harbour and its colourful background, Fiji will be more than ever a “cross roads”, and will enter upon its heritage as the chief pleasure-resort of the South Seas.

Selection of Nadi would not have killed Fiji’s tourist traffic. But, to get that valuable trade, Fiji would have had to work very much harder. Now, every trans-Pacific traveller will go away to sing the praises of Fiji—every one an unpaid publicity agent.

“The objections to Suva Point”, writes one shrewd commentator, “are that it will take up a good deal of land in the growing town of Suva, and that there will be noise from aircraft. Against these must

be counted the great advantage of ac cessibility, and the existence of a flying boat base at Laucala Bay, right beside the airport. The site is a good one, as the approach and take-off will both be over water, and the runway will be in the right position to allow best use to be made of the prevailing wind.”

There will be ample land to the north ward for the growing city of Suva; and, as for the noise of aircraft —well, what would the Suva critics have to say of Sydney, over which aircraft, going to or leaving Mascot, fly low during all day light hours, and most of the night?

To establish the new airport—and it is presumed the work will start soon—it unfortunately is necessary to sacrifice nine or ten homes; but, in view of the importance of the project, that is a small matter. It is en unhappy experience for those who will lose their homes; but they will be well compensated. The owner of by far the largest area affected is Mrs. Alport Barker, an old and highly esteemed resident: and, fortunately for Mrs. Barker and for the authority which must pay the compensation, this area is practically undeveloped. (See Next Page)

OFFICIAL recognition of the fact that the development of local as well as trans-Pacific aviation will greatly affect the future of Fiji was contained in a number of interesting statements made in the Fiji Legislative Council on December 20 by the Colonial Secretary, Mr. J. F. Nicoll, who had just returned,

with Mr. P. H. Nightingale, from the meeting in New Zealand of the South Pacific Air Transport Council. The following is a summary.

New Zealand National Airways in con junction with Fiji Government, will carry out the following local air-services, with small flying-boats or amphibians— probably Short Sealand flying-boats, carrying 7 passengers, with 800 miles range: From Suva to— Flights Per Week Lautoka Five Levuka Two Labasa Five Savusavu —Taveuni One Rotuma, Lau, Once each per Kandavu month Fares might be Bd. per mile. Capital cost would be £82,000. With £lO,OOO p.a. depreciation, the annual loss would be about £20,000. Fiji now pays a subsidy of £5,000 p.a. on the Suva-Labasa service.

IT is expected that the construction of the new Suva airport will take five years. The Government of Fiji will provide the international authority with the necessary land, and will contribute probably £250,000 towards the capital cost.

It was at first proposed to close Nausori airfield, the maintenance of which costs £16,000 p.a.; but, at the urgent request of New Zealand, it has been decided to keep the field open, by the Fiji Public Works Department, at an estimated cost of £6,000 p.a.

Because Nadi is being used for regional and local services, Fiji will contribute £lO,OOO p.a. towards the cost of ground services there, pending the construction of Suva airport.

To have brought Nadi to the standard required today for an international air port would have cost little less than the construction of an entirely new airport at Nausori or Suva Point.