Hebrides And Samoan Business

Airline Manoeuvres

New Contenders For The

Reports from several parts of the Pacific indicate that 1956 may see changes in the established set-up of international and local airlines. The New Hebrides, which has had no air service since mid-1955, may now have a choice of operators; and American Samoa, which has had no service since the war, is back on the air map.

rE battle of the New Hebrides skyways is apparently under way. Two companies in mid- December thrashed out before the New Caledonian Assembly the ques tion of which one was to get the New Hebrides franchise. The in ternal airways company, Transpac, has asked the Local Assembly to obtain the loan of 14 million francs from the Mother country to pur chase two “Heron” planes for which they have obtained an option in Australia.

With these two planes the young company plans to develop a com plete service Noumea-New Hebrides, and perhaps go further afield.

The company operates a de Havilland Dragon and has an nounced the purchase of another of these machines in Australia.

The company has doubled its capital to permit further expansion.

The projects of this infant com pany are being challenged by the French company T.A.I. (Transports Aerians Intercontinentaux, which is to take over the liaison with France from Air France in the New Year.

This company, completely private and not subsidised, proposes using DC6s on the Paris-Noumea run.

They are studying also the pos sibility of basing DC4s in Noumea to run a subsidiary service from Noumea to Australia, Tahiti, New Hebrides and New Zealand.

In the debate before the local Assembly, the representative of T.A.I. stated that if the Noumea- New Hebrides run was not avail able the company would have to “reconsider its position”, adding that, naturally that did not apply to the Paris-Noumea run, which was definite.

Following a long debate, during which the President of the local Transpac assured Members that full security would be found for the loan and that the question was urgent as the option on the machines was for 15 days only, a decision to radio the French Government was made.

From all this, one point is clear —that the New Hebrides will, in the near future, have a regular air service.

One wonders whether, if all the hopes of T.A.I. are realised. Qantas will find it economical to continue to fly into New Caledonia at all. — Noumea Correspondent.

French Air Company’S Plans

rE new company that supersedes Air France is called Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux (not Internationales, a s previously stated) and it will run the complete Paris-Noumea route —not just the Saigon-Noumea section, as prev iously reported in PIM.

TAl’s schedule on this service will be fortnightly—the first flight leaving Paris (Orly Airport) on January 6; and departing Noumea on the return flight on January 10.

Calls will be made at Cairo, Karachi, Saigon. Darwin. Air France called also at Brisbane. This call has been cut out but the company hopes to get permission for a Sydney call.

DC6B aircraft will be used.

Papeete reported in December that a Catalina aircraft of TAI arrived at Bora Bora on December 4 from Noumea on a survey flight.

The Papeete report says that TAI will soon extend its service east ward from Noumea to Bora Bora (where there is an aerodrome) via Pago Pago with a DC4 aircraft. To connect Papeete with this service and provide for an expansion in its operations, the French Oceania organisation Regie Aerienne Inter

insulaire (RAI) will soon take i livery of another Catalina aircn The company has sold a Grumn Mallard amphibian which v damaged by fire in mid-1954. Sc October, 1954, RAI has been opra ing a single amphibious Catalinsi a scheduled inter-island servioi The establishment of an French connection to Papeete wo no doubt, result in the loss of S 2 business, more especially Fre' Government travellers, by TEAA

Paa Tafuna-Nadi Feeds

Service

Pan American Airways will, January, introduce a DC4 fra service between Tafuna ain (American Samoa) and Nadi, to connect with the main ’

Stratocruiser service between . tralia and North America. Frequt will be once monthly.

This supersedes the PAA f© service that formerly operated monthly between Tafuna and HI lulu. Only PAA through-passerr to and from the US and Amen; Samoa will be accepted. That) passengers cannot use the servio journeys between Tafuna and or for breaks of journey in This DC4 service will be run to i nect with the service that le.

San Francisco on the 4th TuesdsJ each month. First Nadi-Tae flight will be on Jan. 27.

Will Nadi Lose Out? <

The US Government has autj ised the expenditure of $l,OO on Tafuna. (See page 74). S people, including Mr. Harold GI owner of Fiji Airways, see in j fact a threat to the continued ©

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ce of Nadi, Fiji, as the South cific’s main international airport, itty thinks that if the 5 countries io make up the South Pacific Air ansport Council do not soon get sy on improving Nadi or building new airport for jet require mts, Fiji will lose out in inter tional aviation. A third runway ■ Nadi has been under discussion ■ years by the governments re msible for Nadi —but so far has t progressed beyond that.

P Airlines Development

CCORDING to a Honolulu an . nouncement, all shares in South Pacific Airlines Ltd. w T ere taken over by the Robert Dollar Co., San Francisco, as from January 1. n reporting this, the company d that management would re in unchanged with Mr. Stanley liar as President; Mr. S. Van rkleo, a leading Honolulu busi ;s man as Vice-President, and ptain F. I. L. Barnes, of Sydney, operational manager. l large percentage of shares has along been held by the Dollar 'he announcement also reported

that one of the 40-seat Solent flying boats was now ready to carry out route tests on the Honolulu- Christmas Island-Papeete route.

Flights could not commence, how ever, until the necessary naviga tional, meteorological, radio, and fuelling facilities were completed on Christmas Island. There had been a delay in getting delivery of equip ment, but all should be ready “early in 1956.” The company will not receive afiy Government subs-dy.

Fares,* Hono 1 u 1 u-Papeete are approved at $2BO single and $532 return.

Advice received by PIM direct from South Pacific Airlines early in January was, however, less optimistic than the Honolulu reports. Target date was given as “before Bastille Day”—July 14.

Additional to the Christmas Island facilities provision still has to be made for a weather observation station on an island adjacent to the southern sector of the route—that is, between Christmas Island and Papeete. Malden, Starbuck, Vostok Caroline, and Flint are all adjacent, but according to SPAL, Flint appears the best location in view of the fact that this small island is at present inhabited by Tahiti copra workers. The possibility of provid ing radio equipment and training

the manager at Flint into the tak ing of weather observations is now being investigated.