Airport In Tonga
p. 13 · Read in the full issue
Unexplained Report In Australia
AUSTRALIAN newspapers, in May, published a surprising report, to the effect that Queen Salote, of Tonga, had finally succeeded in preventing Brit ish and American air interests from es tablishing permanent air bases in Tonga.
One newspaper actually stated: “Air strips in Tonga are to be removed and air liners from New Zealand, on the Inter-island service, will no longer call there. Trans-Pacific air liners flying be tween Australia and Canton Island will no longer have an alternate landing place in Tonga, if Nadi (Fiji) should not be available owing to bad weather.”
Apart from this, there has not been any indication that Tonga wishes to deny itself the privileges of air transportation and airmails. It may be taken as cer tain that Tonga will be linked up by air with Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand in the future, as in the past.
All that has happened is that the In ternational Air Conference, held in Mel bourne in April, expressed itself in favour of the Fiji international airport being finally established at Nadi, instead of at Nukualofa (Tonga), which was one of the alternatives suggested.