[?]ome on GEIC and

Decisions y to [?]ome on GEIC and Tongan airlines

By a staff writer

Tonga now looks like being beaten f the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in e race to get their internal air rvices going. But who will operate ther service still remains a big icstion.

Applications will close later this ar for proposals to run the GEIC’s rvices, and three companies—Fiji rways Ltd., Air Pacific Ltd. and >lomon Islands Airways—are all pected to apply.

The British aircraft manufacturer, iwker de Havilland, has minority crests in two of these firms and sir proposals are expected to ggest using de Havilland Beechcraft craft.

Fiji Airways will propose using her its own Heron aircraft to erate initially, or Norman-Britten anders. Herons look the best bet cause of their ready availability.

The GEIC has three strips— rawa, Funafuti and Abemama— lich could take light aircraft and »rk has already started on a fourth ip—Tabiteuea.

Tonga’s position with available air ips is poor. Its Fuaamotu strip on ngatapu, which connects the igdom with Fiji Airways and Poly ?ian Airlines regional services to i and Western Samoa, is the only ip passed by aviation authorities suitable for aircraft operations.

Phe newly-constructed strip on vau, on which Air Pacific aircraft fe been landing lately, fully-laden h Tongan officials as a demon ition that the strip is safe, still ; not been approved for com rc’ial flights and it is even possible vau may have to provide another drip site.

Several months ago, the Tongan vemment announced that it had epted “in principle” a proposal t Air Pacific provide an internal service, using Vavau and a pro ed strip on Haapai. The govern ed has had nothing to say about ; since, although neither has it udiated the announcement.

Nevertheless, both Tonga and the stem Pacific High Commission e now each bought 10,000 £FI res in Fiji Airways and have ts on the board, and thus it would be surprising if Fiji Airways won contract for the Tonga’s internal service after all.