Pacific Transport
pp. 55-56 · Read in the full issue
Big Airlines Streamline Their
Operations Through Islands
Concerned about the loss of air line services through Nadi, and the consequent drop in airport landing fees and the occasional income from in-transit passengers, the Fiji Govern ment has decided to increase landing fees at Nadi International Airport by 27 per cent.
The fee for a Boeing 747 will be 51,560, against $1,360. A night arrival and departure by a similar aircraft will cost $1,720. The new rates are about half of Australian rates, and are well under those of New Zealand and France. They are about the same as those charged in Hong Kong.
Over the last two years, Air- India, American Airlines, British Airways and Lan Chile have with drawn from Nadi. Air Nauru, how ever, is a newcomer and a Hawaii based airline is reported to be interested in operating through Nadi.
Two major airlines operating across the Pacific—Qantas and Pan American World Airways—will soon reduce the number of flights into and out of Australia by one a week, each way. Nadi will lose two landings a week by the Qantas move.
But PAA, in a rearrangement of schedules, and except for an interim period between April 25 and May 28, will continue to make six land ings a week at Nadi. The changes to both airlines’ schedules are subject to approval by the governments of countries concerned.
Qantas will soon withdraw its Tahiti services because of “very poor traffic”. Even though it is reducing services through Nadi, it will offer more seats by using Boeing 7475.
Qantas will also have 747 s available to uplift passengers from Fiji in peak periods.
Qantas at present operates seven services north and seven services south through Nadi, five each way with 747 s and two each way with 7075. There are also two 707 termi nating services to Nadi, one from Sydney and one from Brisbane. In the new schedule, Qantas plans to use 747 s exclusively, except for the Brisbane-Nadi service for which a 707 will continue to be used.
There are three services a week to Tahiti, one terminating, and two continuing to Vancouver. Two Australia-San Francisco services a week will carry on to Vancouver to allow Qantas to maintain its link with Canada. The San Francisco- Vancouver “leg” is a reintroduction of a flight Qantas operated in the 1950 s with Constellations when it took over the services of the now defunct British Commonwealth Paci fic Airlines.
Although Qantas is cutting out two services, northbound on Tues days and southbound on Thursdays, it will offer more seats through using bigger aircraft. The configuration of the economy sections of the 747 s is being altered to seat 10 abreast in stead of nine. The 747 s will then have capacity for 398 passengers.
PAA, in a schedule to come into
operation on May 29, will open a new route—New York-Dallas-Hono lulu-Pago Pago-Nadi-Auckland and return. It is this service which will keep PAA landings at Nadi at six a week. PAA will drop its Tuesday flights between Australia and the US, via Pago Pago, and the US and Australia.
In the period between April 25 and May 28 PAA plans to fly daily from Australia to the US, using 707 s and 7475. Five flights will originate in Melbourne and will make a short stop in Sydney. The other two will originate in Sydney. All daily flights, except one, will call at either Nadi or Pago Pago. The exception will be a non-stop Sydney-Honolulu flight, thence to the US west coast.
From May 29, PAA plans six flights a week out of Australia to the US west coast using 7475. Four
Mr Ralph Conley, general manager of Papua New Guinea's national airline, Air Niugini, pins a seniority badge on the uniform of senior hostess Margaret Karoji. She is one of 13 senior Air Niugini hostesses who were in Sydney for training by Qantas on Boeing aircraft. When they have completed their training, the hostesses will work on Air Niugini's own Boeing 707-720B on the Australia-Port Moresby-Manila service which began on February 12.
flights a week will start in Sydney, and the other two, via Sydney, will originate in Melbourne. Two flights will be via Nadi, one via Auckland and Honolulu, and three via Pago Pago and Honolulu.
In the April 25-May 28 period, there will be five 707 flights a week from Auckland to the US west coast —two non-stop to Honolulu, one via Pago Pago and Honolulu, and two via Tahiti. From May 29, there will be three 747 flights a week from Auckland to the US, one via Hono lulu, one via Tahiti (both of these to the US west coast), and the new service from Auckland to New York, via Nadi, Pago Pago, Hono lulu and Dallas.
PAA will soon introduce a new service from Los Angeles to Tahiti and return, via Honolulu and Pago Pago. The aircraft will leave Los Angeles on Mondays. It will leave Tahiti on the return flight late on Tuesdays, arriving at Pago Pago.
Honolulu and Los Angeles on Wed nesdays.
Nauru's Airline
Undercuts Air Pacific
Air Nauru, which started flying to Fiji in December, is undercutting Air Pacific on the Fiji-Tarawa route by almost 50 per cent. Nauru’s rates on the Fiji-Nauru run are about one third of Air Pacific’s.
Air Nauru, using a Boeing 737, charges $lOB for a Fiji-Nauru flight.
A flight by Air Pacific to Nauru, via Tarawa, costs $341.70. The Fiji- Tarawa “leg” by Air Pacific costs $269.70. Air Nauru charges $5O for the Nauru trip. This allows Tarawa passengers to fly to Fiji, via Nauru, for SisB.
Air Pacific is having to take a closer look at Tarawa operations.
There is no way Air Pacific can compete because of the Nauruans’ ideas about costs. The Fiji Govern ment agreed to the lower fares when it gave Air Nauru permission to start a service to Fiji.
Air Nauru makes a weekly flight to Fiji with its Boeing 737. Air Paci fic flies to Tarawa once a week, using a BAG 111, and a fortnightly flight with a HS74B turbo prop aircraft.
While Alt Nauru is cutting fares to the north of Fiji, the fares on the southern route to New Zealand will rise by 10 per cent on April 1. The standard fares by Air New Zealand will be $l5O single and $3OO return.
The cheap epic fare will be $203, but the period for paying these fares will be reduced from 45 to 35 days.
Air Pacific is also making an in crease for its NZ flights, via Tonga.
The Air Pacific fare to Brisbane will rise by 10 per cent on April 1.