Air Nauru!
p. 33 · Read in the full issue
It Will Be
A fast, small fan jet Falcon opera ted by Business Jets of Australia made a proving flight between Aus tralia and Nauru on November 20, as a forerunner to what Nauru plans as its own national airline.
President Hammer Deßoburt said in Sydney in November that Nauru wanted a direct service between Aus tralia and Nauru, in addition to the present Fiji Airways service via Fiji and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
There was enough traffic for both services.
Nauru intended to establish its own airline Air Nauru probably by leasing aircraft in the first instance.
The President said he expected the first regular service would begin early next year, using the chartered Falcon.
The aircraft would operate a once fortnightly service, probably Brisbane -Honiara-Nauru, and it could be ex tended to a weekly service. There were no passenger rights to Honiara.
At present, technical matters were being considered by the Australian DCA, and these had to be approved before the service would operate. [Nauru earlier this year was granted rights to operate its own air line into Australia.] The Falcon which made the prov ing fight in November flew to Nauru the same day from Melbourne via Rockhampton and Honiara. It carried eight passengers, which will be about the maximum for this aircraft on this route. Nauru’s coral airstrip is 5,280 ft long.
President Deßoburt, who had just returned from a visit to Japan, said Nauru was also negotiating to buy one of the Tri vessels that operate between Nauru and Australia (see p. 109) and planned to order a bulk phosphate carrier, up to 30.000 tons, possibly from Japan. At present the shipyards in Japan that Nauru favoured were fairly full.
In Japan President Deßoburt negotiated sale of a further 500,000 tons of Nauru phosphate to the Mitsubishi organisation, at SAIS a ton, for each of the years 1970/71 and 1971/72—worth SAIS million.
Due in Nauru in late November were Messrs. J. Scarborough, an architect, and I. Dance, a consult ing engineer, to examine chances of establishing a modern commercial and shonping centre on Nauru to cope with growing needs.