[?]ench Airline
p. 23 · Read in the full issue
[?]Ccessfully
[?]Gotiated
[?]ench Airline [?]tends to NZ
FTER many months of backing and filling, the New Zealand Department of Civil Aviation, in y January, gave permission for French airline, Transports lens Intercontinentaux, to ex -1 its present Paris-Noumea ser ; to Auckland. he first flight on the new ex ied route will leave Paris on ruary 4 and, after calling at ens. Karachi, Saigon and Dar , will reach Noumea on Feb •y 7; at 1400 hours, on February t will leave for Auckland, NZ, mencing the return flight over ;same route on February 8. he service will, be fortnightly, t present DC6b aircraft are i, but the use of DCS jet iners is already being considered ;he company. This would cut the ig time between Auckland and is to 24 hours. he use of jets on the route is, 'ever, something for the future, are they could be used the air i at Tontouta, New Caledonia, Id have to be brought up to jet idard, which would mean virtual instruction.
I Survey To Wallis
he TAI DC3, which is based on imea and operates the Noumea i-Santo service, made a survey it to Wallis Island, via Nadi, , in December. . is understood that the company sonsidering the extension of its .1 service to Wallis. (Wallis, ch is administered from Noumea, i very much blown-away part he colony of New Caledonia. It auch closer to Fiji and Samoa n to NC).
More Airport Talks
R. WALTER GRAND, President fof the Territorial Assembly of French Oceania, left )eete by TEAL, en route to is on December 23 in a further ;mpt to produce some action on international airport for Papeete, \ is understood, however, that Grand has a new plan regard [ the location of the airport. r P till now the location most oured was at Faaa, west of )eete and quite close to and r the Hotel Tropiques. It olved the reclamation of a Ilow-water area of the reef ween the small island of Motu liri and the shore, and called much filling with spoil, but
looked like being an ideal location for a land and sea airport.
The new plan—which has also been considered, and rejected in the past—is for an airport on the flat lands of Atimaono sugar plantation on the south coast of Tahiti-nui.
The drive down to this area, some 20 miles from the city, is very attractive, but at the end of a long flight tourists are not always in a receptive mood for long scenic drives. There are also obvious administrative disadvantages.
The fact that this site is even being considered indicates that an international airport for Tahiti is still a long way from realisation. t The announcement by the Health Department of French Oceania in July that a minor epidemic of poliomyelitis existed in Tahiti caused a financial loss to some business people. Shipmasters were warned to take on provisions at their own discretion and some heeded the warning. However, in November the chief of the Health Board. Lieutenant-Colonel Boussier, announced that the danger was over and shipping companies were advised accordingly.