Fiji Airways Shatters The Isolation

Isolation Of The GEIC

From Judy Tudor If the isolation of some of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony atolls still remains absolute, that of Funafuti and Tarawa was shattered on July 20-21 with the arrival of the first scheduled flight, operated by Fiji Airways.

FROM now on FA Heron planes will run on a fortnightly schedule from Nausori and Nadi, Fiji, to Tarawa, via Funafuti, Ellice Is., taking two days on the northbound flight (overnight at Funafuti); and return ing over the same route in one day of 11 hours flying.

The whole distance, Suva-Tarawa, 1,400 nautical miles and the Funafuti- Tarawa hop of 600 nautical miles, is about the limit of a Heron’s range.

The plane carries 10 passengers and a crew of three—two pilots and an engineer who doubles as hander outer of lunch boxes and maker of countless cups of instant coffee.

Arrival of the first scheduled flight provided red-letter days for the people of Funafuti and (24 hours later) of Tarawa. Special, handsome stamps on first day covers commem orated the event.

FA did a smart piece of work in both places by giving sight-seeing courtesy flights to local elders and other leaders, in the afternoon of both days and as a result even those who were a bit doubtful about the whole business are now sold on air transportation.

The only trick to this seems to be that there’s a possibility in Funafuti, at least, that it might be locally con sidered that free junkets are part of regular airline procedure and not just first-day generosity! i A New Viewpoint Speeches at the welcome to crew and passengers hinted that now the elders had tried it out, flown, and found it good, the villagers would be more than happy if FA extended the good work on subsequent trips and treated everyone to a free flight.

For virtually all of them this had been their first time up and therefore their first chance to see their atoll, bird’s-eye fashion, in its entirety. Pre viously their view had been only from sea level—and from the sea an atoll can look substantial and even import ant. From the air it snaps back into perspective—a tiny sliver of land in the vastness of the ocean.

If only for the purpose of measi ing the insignificance of Pacific Islan against the size of the Pacific Oce the Suva-Tarawa exercise is w worth the effort.

The strip at Funafuti was originai built by the American during the w and the debris of the war time e still dominates this atoll. The ar taken by the strip originally cc tained the atoll’s main vegetable p and it was replanted after the war.

It has now been cleared for t second time, thus robbing the ms islet of the atoll of a goodly slice the land. It could be, however, tl air traffic through Funafuti will me than compensate for loss of tl coconut-bearing land.

The airstrip at Tarawa is < Bonriki, on the extreme south-e< coiner of the triangular atoll—t wartime strip at Betio, on the extrer south-west corner, having be planted over with coconuts.

Hotels Built The GEIC Government has bu two small hotels at Funafuti a: Tarawa, Both are of the same pi and located beside the respective at< lagoons. They accommodate people, and although there is nothi elaborate about them they are coi fortable and pleasant.

Hotel Vaiaku-langi, on Funafu is run by Falani Pasefika, BE] formerly of the Government and ci rently a member of the GEi Advisory Council.

Hotel Boin-te-Riburibu, near Bil nibeu, Tarawa, is run by Nga O’Brien, CPM. formerly of t Colony Police. He is assisted by o of his pretty daughters.