over French Polynesia

There's competition in the air over French Polynesia

Internal air services within French Polynesia are improv ing with the only regular schedule operator, RAI, receiving spirited competition from two new charter groups, Air Tahiti and Air Moorea.

The territory’s sixth commercial airstrip—on Tubuai in the Australs— is due to be completed by August.

This 800-metre grass runway will take DC4’s, and it will be a welcome variation to the RATs popular tourist destinations of Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Faaa (Tahiti), and Rangiroa Atoll in the Tuamotus. (RAI also operates twice-weekly one hour hops by Bermuda flyingboat from Tahiti to Huahine, another Society Island.)

Local shareholders

Of the charterers, the 12-monthold Air Tahiti is bigger. With a paid-up capital of about $40,000, it has a Cessna 206, a Piper Aztec, two Norman-Britten Islanders and a Piper Pawnee.

The Cessna and Piper Aztec each carry five passengers, the Islanders 10 people each and the Pawnee is used for freight and agricultural purposes.

Shareholding of the company is local, with Tahiti businessmen Messrs, Jean Gillot and Jean Arbelot having a stake along with Tupai Plantation, a group of copra growers on Bora ®°^ a - . .

As with Air Moorea, Air Tahiti’s best revenue earner is seven minute

Faaa-Moorea hops (at $5 each way) taking tourists on day trips or guests bound for Moorea’s profitable Bali Hai, Hotel Aimeo or Club Medi terranee resorts, Air Tahiti has done some charter jobs to Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and recently five Papeete businessmen took up small shareholdings. Three pilots—one of them is Mr. Gillot— are employed.

Air Moorea has operated out of Papeete for about two years with local French businessmen holding EL 081 of its f lo * ooo P aid - u P capital.

The company has three six-passenger Piper Cherokees.

Both Air Tahiti and Air Moorea are operating unprofitably and each wants to get government permission to run regular services, rather than charter services.

They argue that internal traffic has built up so much in recent years that RAI has not been able to pro vide adequate services. RAI, an associate company of the French international airline, UTA, disagrees and says the charterers are “picking the eyes” out of the aviation business and would not have the resources to run regular services.

Many Papeete businessmen, how ever, welcome the air war. Compe tition is needed, they say.