New Airline

Christmas Is. Base for New Airline

BEFORE South Pacific Airlines can go into operation (some time next year, it is expected) all airport facilities will have to be established on Christmas Island which is about mid-way on the 2,834 miles’ flight between Hono lulu and Tahiti.

Just as in the case of Canton Island, now a refuelling stop for the three services on the Australasia- North America air services, an estab lished commercial airservice may put Christmas Island permanently on the map.

Captain Cook discovered it at Christmas time, 1777, and since then it has been visited sporadically by shipwrecked mariners, castaways, whalers, guano gatherers, coconut planters and airmen, but none of them have stayed very long.

It was first surveyed for land and sea plane bases by NZ in 1938 and during the war it was an American air-base. The Americans did not pull out until 1948—until the de mands of the Berlin air-lift cur tailed their services in the Pacific.

However, it is understood that they took all their equipment with them and, in any event, the new Airline y 11 1.,. not be interested in land facilities. It proposes to use Solent flying boats.

Christmas Is. is British, admin

istered as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Is. Colony.