Rapid Progress

Teething Troubles Are Over

With Nadi's

Jet Age Airport

Despite some early setbacks

because of a London dock-strike, which held up equipment, and wet weather, which bogged the

equipment down after it had got

there, progress on the Nadi air

port extensions is now rapid.

A GOOD stretch of fine weather has allowed the contractors to push on with the work, which is going to cost more than £3,000,000, and will give Fiji an airport worthy of the jet age.

Fiji’s contribution to the ex tensions (apart from acquisition of land for development) is the con struction of the new terminal build ing, which will cost about £310,000.

But the major cost of £3,000,000 is being shared by Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

These photographs, taken in Feb ruary by Rob Wright, Fiji PRO photographer, show several stages of the vast project.

At top are two of the large con crete mixing stations at the airport (the second can just be seen in the background), together with a gravel hopper (at left). A container with gravel is travelling up the inclined girders to the mixing deck. The truck will take the concrete direct to the runway, where it is handled by the concrete laying machine (centre photo). Whirling blades in the concrete layer help compact the mixture.

The whole job is done on the assembly line principle, with teams of men laying reinforcing mesh, tarred paper, adjusting edges, in serting joints, as the concrete strip is pushed out farther and farther.

One day recently the men, in a 12-hour working day, laid 2,000 ft of concrete 20 ft wide—Boo cubic ft of it.

Newly poured concrete on the runway is protected by a portable cover of aluminium, which is on runners and can be moved easily.

The lower photo shows part of the east-west runway after the concreters had finished with it.

This point is about half-way to the intersection with the north scuth strip, and it will be continued for about the same distance behind the camera. . ...

Total length of this runway will be 10,700 ft. . . * Meanwhile the new terminal building is taking shape and the control tower building is almost completed.