Be Disrupted

Alterations to Nadi Airport This Year

Air Services Could

The lengthening and strength

ening of the main runway at

Nadi, Fiji, in preparation for jet

aircraft, may disrupt international

air services towards the end of

this year.

The services which will be af fected are Pan American Airways, and Qantas Airways, and possibly Canadian Pacific Airlines Ltd. It is expected that TEAL DC6 services from New Zealand will be able to operate in daylight, using the sec ondary runway.

It has been suggested in New Zealand that work on the main runway will start about August and that for the three or four months it is out of operation, Qantas and Pan American will overfly Nadi and iahd at Christchurch. New Zealand, whenuapai, Auckland, is not suit able because of weight considera tions for either Super-Constellations or Stratocruisers.

A spokesman for Qantas in Syd ney said that the whole matter was being considered but no decisions had been made. Whatever was done would be a matter for the civil aviation authorities. Nadi is under the jurisdiction of New Zealand.

Pan American Airways at present operates a feeder-service between Auckland and Nadi for New Zealand passengers. New Zealand passengers travelling trans-Pacific by Qantas travel between Auckland and Nadi by TEAL.

TEAL Service to Samoa,

Cooks May Cease

Although Tasman Empire Air ways Ltd. had no comment other than to say that the Coral Route service between Fiji, Western Samoa, Aitutaki, and Tahiti would be discussed with other matters concerning the airline’s future in April, the present TEAL schedules indicate that the Solent flying-boat service will end when the single aircraft remaining on the route arrives back at Lauthala Bay, Suva in the first week in August.

Early in April, and prior to the opening of the New Zealand-Aus tralia aviation talks at Wellington, the New Zealand Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Mathison, said that TEAL was planning a direct land plane ■ service between Nadi and Borabora, French Oceania, as an

interim measure following the with drawal of the Solent flying-boat.

The Minister gave no indication of any possible plan to provide air communications to Samoa and the Cooks in the interim period until airfields were extended and radio facilities replaced. The planned TEAL service would simply keep the Fiji-French Polynesia link open.

Concern is felt in Samoa and the Cooks at the possible loss of their air-service.

A Glad (Confused) Hand

The visit of world Chief Guide, Lady B [?] Powell to P-NG in March was quite exo [?] —as this picture, taken in Rabaul, sH [?] Most excited of all is the young fellow from the right who has given his hand to Chief Guider, and, at the same instant, s [?] to be telling his mate all about it. But [?] he given his hand? The scout handsha [?] lefthanded, so that must be the hand of [?] chap on his right. But look closely— Baden-Powell is holding TWO hands—and [?] isn't a scout handshake. All very confusi [?] but everyone seems to be enjoying the anyhow. —Photo C. H. A