Uk Leaves Pacific

Air Services

To Australia & Nz

Reorganisation to Save Public Money

PLANS for rationalising air ser vices in which Australia, New Zealand and the United King dom were jointly interested came into operation on April 1. They in volved the control by Qantas Em pire Airways of the trans-Pacific service between Australia and America previously operated by BCPA; a working partnership be tween Qantas and BOAC on the Australia-England route; and a change in aircraft and ownership for TEAL.

Qantas will operate services to America and Canada, and will con nect with BOAC at San Francisco when that line extends its North Atlantic service.

Qantas has assumed responsibility for the continued employment of the BCPA staff. No change in name is expected before June, Main purpose of the re-organisa tion is to save public money, par ticularly to cut the losses of BCPA, which has lost money in most years since it was formed, the deficit reaching £283,035 in the last annual accounts. Qantas has bought the shares of the British and New Zea land Governments in the line.

Tasman Empire Airways Ltd. is also involved in the reorganisation, the Australian and NZ Govern ments having bought Britain’s share.

Qantas intends to use some of the eight Super-Constellation planes it has on order for the Pacific service. Under present plans it will sell the four DC6’s, now used by BCPA, to TEAL, the Australian and New Zealand Governments be tween them finding the purchase price.

It is expected that the first Super-Constellation will be on the Pacific service about mid-May.

TEAL, doubtless, will have to dis pose of most of its Solents —at con siderable loss.

UP to early April no statements were forthcoming in either Aus tralia or New Zealand as to the practical details of the new re organisations in QEA, TEAL and BCPA. The answer to many of the questions arising out of the changes may be known at political level but the executive offices of the com panies themselves seem not to know yet just how it will all work out.

Australia and New Zealand each now own 50 per cent, of the com pany operating across the Tasman; but the TEAL services operated from New Zealand to Fiji and

onwards through Western Samoa and Cook Islands to Tahiti, and from Fiji to Tonga appear to be the concern of New Zealand only.

Australia and NZ representatives were conferring on trans-Tasman matters at end of March but it was not expected that the TEAL Islands services would be seriously discussed.

It has been stated by amateur commercial aviation “experts” that the present TEAL Coral Route ser vice is paying its way on the through flight to Papeete but that part of the service to Samoa and the Cook Islands is not.

As the Solents must land in both the latter groups, why this should be considered the unprofitable section remains one of those mysteries of air transport economics that the layman finds hard to understand. However, it is gener

ally agreed that for reasons of policy, NZ will have to continue to supply airservices to the islands, including Tonga and the Chathams, and if not by TEAL then by some other means.

The substitution of land-planes for seaplanes would not necessarily improve the Sydney-Auckland ser vice. Land planes may fly faster; but they have to land at Whenuapai, over 20 miles from the city, whereas seaplanes go into Mechanics’ Bay, in the heart of the city.

The fate of the Sydney-Welling ton service also seems to be in some doubt. The nearest aerodrome to Wellington, capable of taking DC6 planes, is 90 miles away. To bring up to standard an aerodrome closer to Wellington would cost some hundreds of thousands of pounds.

TEAL, therefore, must for the time

jeing either retain two of its Trans rasman Solents for this service or :ut it out and have passengers ;hange planes at either Christ jhurch or Auckland for Wellington.

Residents of the suburb of Rose Bay, Sydney, have been promised ’or years that the flying-boat base ;here will be closed “shortly.” In )rder to do this, a number of Aus ;ralian services will have to go out )f operation or find a base else vhere. And Qantas flying-boat .ser vices to the New Hebrides, Suva* via Noumea, and Sydney-Rabaul would lave to cease. With the exception >f the New Hebrides, these services ould be operated by landplanes im nediately.

Whatever is finally decided, it is irobable that the reorganisation of hese Government airlines will not uit every island; but most every me will agree that rationalisation, n order to save public money, was iverdue.

The Islands have based their post war lives and economy on frequent nd efficient air services; it will be lard if some of them now lose hem. But Islands residents have lot contributed to the huge cost if running unprofitable lines—the ost of that has come out of the lockets of Australian, New Zealand nd UK taxpayers.

TEAL is still accepting bookings n the Coral Route, six months in dvance, and it is freely said in NZ but without official confirmation) hat nothing will be done about ’EAL’s Islands services until after be next NZ election in November.