Teal's Future

Will Be

Decided Soon

In Canberra, in early March the [ustralian Minister for Civil Avia lon, Senator Paltridge, and the r Z Minister for Transport, Mr.

IcAlpine, ended discussions about he future of TEAL. The Ministers lid they could release no details ntil after the two Cabinets had the scheme. rtEY said simply that they had agreed to recommend “certain action on the future ownership nd operation of TEAL”, which was in the best interests of both Duntries”.

The off-the-record tip was that ustralia would give NZ controlling r full interest in TEAL, and that EAL and Qantas would be able to Dmpete against each other if they )und it necessary.

At the moment TEAL has the jonopoly of the Tasman service.

TEAL wants to go out on its own, )r it has been unhappy for a long me over what it believes to be ustralian interference with plans has had for extension and equip lent.

BOAC's Interest Meanwhile, Sir Matthew Slattery, lairman of British Overseas Air ays Corporation got the full treat lent from Press, radio and tele sion when he visited Australia aout the same time.

In New Zealand, Sir Matthew had ad talks with the New Zealand Gov ■nment over future operations of EAL, because, as Sir Matthew put , both his airline and TEAL have milar aspirations with regard to le Pacific.

BO AC wishes to continue its pre int service from the UK which rmmates in San Francisco, down trough the Pacific to Sydney.

Qantas already carries the Com onwealth flag on this service, but OAC’s chairman says that they ould not be in active rivalry with antas over this route—but “in isociation with”, as they already e on the Kangaroo route to Lon m.

TEAL, of course, wishes to extend 5 present service beyond Tahiti here it now terminates, either to onolulu or to the North American est coast. Sir Matthew feels that they do this, they will need bigger t aircraft and he has proposed a irtnership with TEAL in which □AC would lease jet airliners to iem. At present. TEAL is jointly by NZ and Australia. (Until a few years ago the UK overnment also had shares in

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EAL —and the fact that they got i of them is a matter for regret, id Sir Matthew in a Sydney tele st).

Sir Matthew, looking optimistic ly into the future, feels that air res could be halved within the xt 10 years; but at the same time doesn’t see the supersonic air ier being available for commercial ing before then.

En the meantime, the sub-sonic :craft has just about gone as far it can go, and in the next 10 ars, although there will be medi ations and refinements to our esent jets, nothing really new in ese aircraft will be produced.

A.nd a very good thing that will for airlines economics, he feels, ith individual aircraft costing out £2 million each, it needs 10 ars service from them before they n be considered an economic pro sition.

Norfolk Plans

[n late February, Australia’s isett Transport Industries an unced it had applied for per ssion to operate an air service to rfolk Island. Mr. R. M. Ansett d that if this was granted the npany could make a large in ffment on Norfolk to establish a st-class tourist resort, rhe island would be popular with lerican tourists once it had a Dd hotel and air service, he added. said he would plan for at least 00 visitors annually, rhis announcement followed a re rt from a PIM correspondent on rfolk that the Australian Min =r for Civil Aviation, Senator Itridge, had been “paying a lot attention to Norfolk lately”. \ji unconfirmed report also said it Ansett had purchased the ely old property of “Waveny”, on ylor’s Road, leading to Kingston, comprises about 60 acres, with 'manent water, and fruit trees, rfolkers think it could be made to a wonderful hotel of the dude ich style”.

Owners are Mr. and Mrs. C. J. ilsh.

Santas run the present fort ;htly air service from Australia to rfolk under Government subsidy / Qantas has not been happy with ; arrangement.

The Australian Department of rritories made informal proposals Ansett to interest itself in an service to Norfolk as long as 15 nths ago.

Samoa Services

t was expected that Polynesian lines would renew the air ser e between Apia and Pago Pago late March. In early March two v aircraft for the company were Singapore, being refitted.