Major changes soon

in Fiji Airways schedules

Fiji Airways will make big

hedule changes on three of its ur inter-territory routes when

i new Hawker-Siddeley 748

rcraft goes into service in early ztober.

IHE 40-seater 748 will replace small-capacity Heron and DC3 ■craft on flights to the Solomons, i the New Hebrides, to the GEIC d to Tonga, but flight frequencies 11 be halved on two of these runs d decreased on the other.

No date has been set to put the 8 into Western Samoa because, i airline says, work on the runway Apia airport has not been com ;ted.

The airline’s twice-weekly (Mon y, Thursday) Heron services to the lomons will be replaced by a ekly 748 service on Thursdays.

The first 748 flight to Honiara will ive Suva on October 5. Fifty nutes will be cut off the Nadi-Vila ; and a further 50 minutes off the nto-Honiara leg.

The aircraft will return to Fiji the Kt day.

Weekly Heron services from Fiji the GEIC will be replaced by •tnightly 748 flights. The first will ive Suva on October 22, cutting the idi-Funafuti hop by 55 minutes to ee hours and the Funafuti-Tarawa p by 70 minutes to 3i hours.

The north-bound flight will be on ernate Sundays; the return flights the following Mondays.

The present service of three weekly ;hts to Tonga by DC3 on Tuesdays, ursdays and Saturdays will gradu y be replaced by a 748 service on jdnesdays and Saturdays.

The first 748 flight will be on jdnesday, November 8. The first turday flight will be on November The time gain here will be one ur each way. • A Pacific cruise in a “banana at” last year has led to Dr. C. H. omson, of Hastings, New Zealand, :ing up an appointment as chief sdical officer at Niue. Dr. Thom i and his wife heard there was a :ancy for a doctor when they ited Niue during their cruise, and er Dr. Thomson applied for it.