Suva’S Raw Air

Deal

liversion of Traffic Through

Nadi Causes Upset

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, May 24.

VJ ITH the cessation of the Tas man Empire Airways weekly flying-boat service from Auck nd to Laucala Bay—Solents will ! kept on the Coral Route to ahiti, but that service is not aimed for Fiji—and the Qantas icision to cut out the Sydney— cumea—Suva flying boat, Suva ;ople are realising what the ranges mean. (See May PIM.» With the bulk of Suva-bound sseneers arriving from overseas Nadi (over 100 miles from Suva) e international airport has be me a bottleneck for us.

Fiji Airways is at present operat i a single de Havilland Rapide; t the Co.’s head (Mr. H. Gatty) s stated that by July the Co. will able to handle ail passengers ■ freight and mails between Nadi d Nausori. We hope that this iy be so. fhe two Drover planes acquired Fiji Airways after the loss of ;ir Rapide at Labasa in April, will p things along; but even with ise, can the greatly increased di-Nauscri traffic be handled, in iition to the maintenance of the vices to Savusavu, Taveuni and Dasa? it the best, the new arrangements I involve considerable delays; and re are regrets that high official n has decided to make Nadi our ef airport instead of creating a v base for lan d planes at ra Point, near the tip of Suva nnsula.

Ir. Gatty has suggested the idmg of a small airport for local services at Suva Point; but, al ugh this would eliminate that “lies journey between Suva and isori. there is no sign of Govern it interest in the proposal, t present, Suva-bound arrivals vadi (other than tourists making iti Levu round trip) have to de d for the most part on taxis— ex,P®ns iy® item for a journey of : 100 miles. has been suggested that some body—the big airlines, the Government or private enter -8 should at least institute a service that would reduce de at Nadi to a minimum. There i good deal in this proposal.

Airways do no night flying, and my event there are no night ling facilities at Nausori: me would obviate some of the and delay for people who arrive t 0 B et to Suva Kiy . Whether such a bus ser or a local plane shuttle service,

would be a paying proposition, is mother matter. lI7HATEVER happens, it seems certain that Western Viti Levu will be a winner, through 'he increased traffic at Nadi Air- Today, there is an unmistak ible air of bustling prosperity about ..autoka (20 miles from Nadi), Ba, end the Nadi area.

Both Ba and Nadi townships lave altered almost out of recog lition in the post-war years, losing inch of their frontier-town ragged iess in the process; while Lautoka as grown into a trim little town nd port whose open spaces mphasise the opportunities that v £l crowdod ® uv a has thrown away.

There is even some amusing peculation over whether Suva mav ot ultimately become merely an flmmistrative centre-like a small anberra—while commerce moves ) the west. That there is alreadv >me such trend is shown by the ipid growth of bank branches in le once-despised “sugar-towns”.