Qantas On Sydney-Bsi
p. 23 · Read in the full issue
Run
Competition With TOA
Honiara, Feb. 23.
THE Australian Co., Qantas, now are offering keen competition on the Sydney-Solomon Islands air route, which Trans Oceanic Airways pioneered in 1947.
TOA have been coming in once a month, and getting petrol from supplies put down by the Shell Co., at Tulagi. But it was announced about the end of January that these supplies now had been ear-marked for Qantas, which Government-owned concern plans to start a service to the Solomons shortly. This meant that TOA could not run its trip on February 12.
TOA got over this by bringing along four Tulagi passengers when it arrived here on February 17, on a charter flight from Sydney to Truk with a salvage party, via Tulagi and Rabaul. It evidently had expected to get petrol at Tulagi. But there was no fuel available. The flying boat lay at Tulagi for two days, while radiograms flew back and forth. Finally, Shell Co. gave them ten drums, and they got away to Rabaul on February 19.
The TOA plane is due back to-day to pick up 12 passengers who have been waiting gloomily at Tulagi since the 13th, but no one knows whether they will get any petrol when they arrive.
The amount of petrol which the Burns, Philp steamer can carry to Tulagi is limited, and it now is claimed that the Qantas service will need the lot. We do not know how TOA will manage.
New Service May Link With
New Guinea
Honiara, Feb. 25.
IT is expected that a Qantas regular fortnightly service between Sydney and the Solomons, via New Hebrides, will commence early in March.
A Catalina will be used, at first, with four seats allotted to the Solomons; but it is expected that the Catalina presently will be replaced by a land-plane (Dakota) and that this will link up with the Qantas land-plane service which now runs weekly between Lae and Rabaul, in New Guinea.
If the land-plane is introduced, Qantas probably will use the Kukum air-strip, on Gaudalcanal, about two miles from Honiara, instead of the sheltered harbour at Tulagi, more than 20 miles from the present Administration headquarters (Honiara).
Qantas are cutting the fare (Sydney (Honiara) by £l2. Government Trade Scheme has been agent for both TOA and the Shell Co. W. R. Carpenter & Co., here will be the agent for Qantas.
In New Hebrides
Santo, Feb. 10.
ARRIVING at Santo at midday on Feb ruary 4, a Qantas Catalina left shortly afterwards on a survey flight to the Solomon Islands, This is a prelude to the extension of Qantas’ present Sydney-Santo schedule to embrace the Solomons.
It is reported that the Government of the Solomon Islands is co-operative and is welcoming the new service, even cut ting away an appreciable amount of red tape.
At present the only chance BSI resi dents have of getting to Sydney is by TOA once a month and by the Burns, Philp vessel “Morinda” every second trip. Allo cations of seats for the through flight (Solomons-Sydney) on TOA have neces sarily been very limited. The new service once a fortnight is welcomed.
Toa Fares Reduced
TRANS OCEANIC AIRWAYS announced at the end of February that, as from
March 1 their single fares from Sydney would be Noumea, £32/10 -; Vila, £45- Santo, £5O; and Tulagi, £6s—with special reductions on return fares; and it was expected that this reduction would meet Qantas competition. According to
the announcement, the TOA flying-boats would continue to run on this route, the departure being on a Tuesday about the middle of each month. The overnight stops will be Noumea and Tulagi, as at present.