New Links Across
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
Tasman Forecast
Canadian Pacific Airlines, Ltd.,
hope in the next few weeks to be able to land their aircraft in Auck land en route to Sydney from America, instead of flying direct from Fiji to Syd ney as at present.
CPA do not intend to pick up passen gers in New Zealand for Australia (or vice versa) and thus compete with Tasman Empire Airways, a spokesman said recently. All that they want is to get permission from the NZ government for passengers to stay overnight in Auck land as they do now at Honolulu and Nadi.
If such landing rights were given to CPA, no doubt similar rights will be given to BCPA and PAA, This highly desirable move, which has been denied trans-Pacific air companies by former governments, would remove Auckland from the end of the blind alley where it has been, and put it in its right place in the natural Pacific air circuit. At the present time CPA do not run a service from North America to New Zealand. BCPA and PAA, because of the prohibition upon them not to fly the Tasman, are forced to provide special services between Auckland and San Fran cisco and Vancouver.
Second Tasman Link IT is believed that a second Tasman air link —from Melbourne to Christ church—will be in operation by the end of the year. No indication has been given as to which air service will be chosen to run the service but five com panies are believed to be interested —Australian National Airways, Ansett Airways, TEAL, the NZ National Airways Corpora tion and QEA.
Landplanes will be used and the ter minals will be at Essendon in Melbourne (which was passed as up to international standard last February) and Harewood, near Christchurch, which will probably be up to standard by this December.
Private Australian airline companies have been interested in a southern link across the Tasman for several years.
They could not gain permission to operate from the socialist governments then in power in Australia and New Zealand. The present governments, when in Opposition, frequently recommended that the route be given to a private company.
Mr. W. L. Bygrave has been appointed Senior Surveyor and Valuer in the Fiji Lands Department. He is at present act ing as Deputy Director of Lands, Mines and Surveys.