More And Faster Air Services

Planned For New Guinea

Improved aviation patterns are developing in the air minded Territory of Papua-New Guinea as pressures on the airlines increase. And not before time, most people would say, for not always has the Territory got the airline services it deserved.

Papua-new guinea aviation still flies to the tune of Australia’s “two airline policy”, set by the Com monwealth Government a few years after the war.

Under it, main Australian -air traffic is distributed between the Govern ment-owned Trans Australia Airlines and the privately-owned Ansett-ANA.

One is not allowed to use initiative, or sometimes use even good business practice, to take advantage of the other.

TAA and Ansett together share the main trunk services between Australia and the Territory, and within the Territory main internal services are shared between TAA and Ansett-

Mal.

They often use the same type of aircraft—a fact which has helped re strict development.

When Qantas was pushed out of Papua-New Guinea in 1960, and re placed by the two airline policy, Qantas had been all set to introduce Electras on the main trunk services to replace the rumbling DC4’s which the Lerritorians disliked so much.

727's For New Guinea

The two airlines didn’t have Electras available, so P-NG got umbling DC6’s—which were retained mtil only a few months ago. These urcraft were cast-offs from the Aus ralian mainland traffic pattern.

With the introduction of pure jet Boeing 727’s on Australian trunk outes, the Electras finally became ivailable for New Guinea and these lave been operating since the end of ast year.

They have speeded up flying time, nd are more comfortable, but it is till necessary for the aircraft to leave lydney at night and arrive in the early norning. Night departure time was icrely put back, and the Electras now :ave Sydney at the odd hour of mid ight.

What New Guinea people and jurists —have been asking for for ears is a fast, comfortable return aylight service between the Territory

and Sydney. Such a service is now at last on the horizon. It will be achieved not because either airline is fighting the other to give the New Guinea customers service, but, simply be cause the two airline policy will re lease faster aircraft from the main land trunk routes. The trunk routes will get something better.

Papua-New Guinea will see regular Boeing 727 pure jets following de livery later this year and early next year of four DC9’s each for TAA and Ansett in Australia.

Both airlines expect to operate a daylight New Guinea service with the 727’5. No details have been worked out but it would be possible for the aircraft to leave Sydney at 7.30 a.m. each day and return bv 8.25 p.m.

Such a schedule would probably operate something like this: Depart Sydney 0730; arrive Bris bane 0840, depart 0930; arrive Port Moresby 1215, depart 1300; arrive Lae 1335, depart 1430; arrive Port Moresby 1505, depart 1555; arrive

a ■ wr I

M/ -M. C M W M

Brisbane 1835, depart 1915; arrive Sydney 2025.

The airlin es will use the 727’s as soon as possible because of the big increase in traffic between Australia and the Territory in the last year or two.

In the last 12 months there has been an increase of almost 20 per cent. lT , the losings, and both airlines were \ ble to operate dail V services right through the four months from last November to February, with two air craft a day each on heavy days.

Extra services were once required only at school break-up time in Aus tralia, when Territory children fly home for their holidays, and in Januar y when they fly back again The extra aircraft after Christmas Were ° ften empty when goin g nor th That pattern has now changed with full aircraft both ways, and the whole

Coming Soon

These two aircraft are destined for service in Papua-New Guinea.

Top is the Boeing 727 jet at pre sent in use on Australian trunk routes, and which should be flying between Sydney and Lae by the end of this year. Lower picture shows the new Short Brothers Skyvan ordered for internal New Guinea use by both Patair and Ansett-MAL.

air activity between Australia and New Guinea has speeded up, just as it has within the Territory.

The faster trunk services planned from Sydney will generate more in ternal business for the two big air lines, and for other smaller ones such as Papuan Airlines, and additional trunk services are expected within the next year or two to enter the Terri tory via Hong Kong, and Honiara, in the Solomons.

Port Moresby-Hong Kong

The Hong Kong service will be operated with Boeing 707’s of Qantas which plans to run Sydney-Port Moresby-Hong Kong as soon as Jackson’s Airport, Port Moresby is cleared by DCA for 707 operations.

Ansett applied for this service in 1964 [to Manila) but failed to get it.

Weight tests have to be made on the airport in the next few months to see if it can take 707’s. If it won’t, :oncrete overlay can be added fairly cheaply. Ideally, the airport would ilso require a short extension for 707 >peration, which could be done at the same time.

If the airport does not need itrengthening the 707’s might operate jy the end of this year; otherwise they vould begin in 1967.

It’s been rumoured that reason for

the delay in the 707 service via Port Moresby is the need for erection of a bigger passenger terminal building at Jackson’s, but this factor is not officially regarded as important.

With a rearrangement of Customs procedures the existing terminal would be adequate, and although a bigger terminal would be welcome it is not imperative.

More travellers would arrive in New Guinea from Fiji via Honiara when Fiji Airways adds to its present fleet of Heron aircraft the new Hawker Siddeley 727 prop-jet. This aircraft has not yet been ordered by Fiji Airways but Suva reports con firm that the company has selected it and that one should be in operation next year.

The Herons carry only eight passengers on the present long haul from Fiji, which they do twice a week. The new HS 748 (with two engines and a range of 800 nautical miles) will carry 40 passengers on the same link, and the service would probably be weekly.

More Via Honiara

Overseas tourist agencies, par ticularly in America, have indicated that once the bigger aircraft are in operation they will be able to send parties of tourists to New Guinea via Fiji and Honiara.

The Fiji Airways service would link up in Honiara with the existing TAA Fokker Friendship service through New Guinea to Sydney.

Passengers could get off at Port Moresby, or intermediate New Guinea

stops, and fly to Hong Kong on the Qantas 707.

A subsidiary of Papuan Airlines is now building a luxury hotel—called The Gateway— at the Port Moresby airport to cater for the expected influx of passengers from these new direc tions.

Meanwhile the Fokker service be tween Honiara and Sydney is already taking heavy loadings and more air craft will be needed even before the 727’s come on to the run.

The BSIP Chamber of Commerce is anxious to see this service expand quickly because its members are push ing tourism for the Solomons and air craft are the key to it. But an interest ing development is that Ansett-ANA is putting pressure on the Australian Government to give it a share of any increased services to Honiara.

Ansett has no rights to Honiara under the two airline policy because it is an international route, operated by TAA under charter to Qantas, which is Australia’s international air line.

This situation will need to be re solved soon, especially as Bougainville people would also like to make use of increased services from Honiara, which pass through their area on the way to Rabaul. Priority for bookings naturally goes to Honiara and there are seldom seats available for Bougainville passengers.

The view of Qantas and TAA un doubtedly is that Ansett should not be allowed a share of this international route, because it would establish a new principle.

HOTEL KIETA: The only hotel In Bougainville, New Guinea, is Helmut Kroening's Hotel Kieta, Here seen framed between the old German-planted rain trees, with a view of Kieta Harbour. It is a friendly 10-roomed hotel, which is nearly always full of travellers these days. It will become even busier now that headquarters for Bougainville is to be moved from Sohano to Kieta, and extensions will be needed.