Pacific Transport

Samoans And Tongans

Ruffle Fiji's Feathers

Fiji is prepared to go it alone and run its own international airline if it cannot run Air Pacific successfully as a co operative venture with other airlines and Pacific countries, Fiji Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, warned late in

April.

His warning came soon after reports that Western Samoa and Tonga were get ting together to run a “mini” regional airline covering both Samoa, Tonga, Niue Island and the Cook Islands.

Tonga and Western Samoa also have their eyes on an Auckland-Apia service should Air New Zealand relinquish its Auckland-Pago Pago service. Nor do their aspirations end there. King Taufa'ahau Tupou, of Tonga, and Mr Tupuola Efi, Western Samoa’s new Prime Minister, meeting in Apia soon after Mr Efi’s elec tion, agreed to approach the NZ Govern ment for landing rights in Rarotonga and New Zealand, not only from Apia, but also from Nieu Island and Nukualofa.

They had before them an air route study prepared by the NZ National Airways Corporation for the Western Samoa Government. The report dealt with re equipping Polynesian Airlines with jet air craft BACllls or Boeing 737 s and expanding operations. (Polynesian Airlines, using HS74Bs, covers Apia, Fiji, Tonga, Niue Island and Pago Pago).

Tonga and Western Samoa are shareholders, admittedly small, in Air Pacific. Along with other shareholders, they are likely to be called on to provide Air Pacific with new money as Air Pacific’s working capital will be exhausted

by July.

Ratu Sir Kamisese said Fiji would want a new civil aviation agreement with New Zealand if reports that the NZ National Airways Corporation was tied up with the expansion of Polynesian Airlines were true. Fiji would not be pushed around.

The Tonga-Western Samoa decision about New Zealand air services would “very adversely” affect Air Pacific’s ser vice to NZ. Air Pacific and Polynesian Airlines might fail if they competed for an Auckland route, leaving Air New Zealand in control in the area.

Ratu Sir Kamisese said there was a ten

dency to regard Air Pacific as Fiji’s national airline; in fact, it was a regional carrier and Fiji could ask why it should grant national traffic rights in return for Air Pacific’s landing rights in other territories.

If Fiji found its relationship with the big international airlines unsatisfactory, it had to be prepared to run its own international service. That had never been her ambition, but she was prepared to do it if it was the

only way.

The Premier of the Cook Islands, Sir Albert Henry, was upset at the Tonga- Western Samoa moves. He accused those countries of back door dealings to boost Polynesian Airlines as a rival to Air Pacific. He complained he had not been told about the Apia meeting. It was a mat ter of considerable annoyance to him to learn through the media of proposals of Pacific colleagues which directly affected his government.

Mr Efi, in an effort to sooth ruffled feelings, said he had been meaning to write to Sir Albert and Ratu Sir Kamisese, and would have written earlier if there was any official indication that they were interested in the affairs of Polynesian Airlines.

Meanwhile, Air Pacific has decided to appoint independent consultants to review the airline’s future. The survey will cover

ownership, routes and landing rights.

The airline’s board, after the last quar terly meeting, said it was worried about a severe drop in passenger traffic in February and March. The main routes af fected were Fiji-Honiara and Fiji- Brisbane, via Honiara. Fiji-Honiara traffic was down 30 per cent compared with February-March, 1975. Other routes were marginally ahead of forecast figures. Traf fic on the Fiji-Tonga-New Zealand was 50 per cent of that in February-March, 1 975.