depopulation

F. Polynesia

A one way ticket to depopulation

Until 1961, the only inter national airport in French Polynesia was on a reef island at Bora Bora, built by American troops who occupied it during the Pacific War, writes Bengt Danielsson in Papeete. However, French military requirements led to international-standard strips being laid on Tahiti in the Societies and on Hao in the Tuamotus. A third is now being built in the Marquesas in northern French Polynesia on

Nukuhiva. Military strips have

also been built on Mururoa and Mangareva.

The French Government up to this year has built four air fields, the territorial govern ment 16. There are nine smaller, not so well-equipped,

airstrips belonging to private

companies, the biggest of which operates a pearl farm on Marutea Sud in the Gambier group.

The coming of aviation to the remote, previously isolated islands of French Polynesia, represented a tremendous im provement in communications with the capital, Papeete.

Unfortunately, many Islanders bought one way tickets and this led to a rapid depopulation of outer islands. A positive achievement is the improved facilities to get sick and injured

to hospital.

On the international scene, UTA French Airlines, as it does in New Caledonia, domi nates the market. All French

Air Tahiti with classic Polynesian backdrop... concentrating on the Tahiti-Moorea shuttle

Government employees must use UTA when travelling be tween Tahiti and Paris. The French military maintains its own regular service between Tahiti and Paris, both via Los

Angeles and Martinique. Very

few tourist charter flights are permitted by French aviation authorities, providing UTA with valuable protection.

Domestic services are

dominated by Air Polynesie

which has an ownership similar to that of UTA. It enjoys a vir

tual monopoly, guaranteed by

a renewable convention signed with the territory govern ment.

Recently, leading politicians

of the ruling autonomist parties have suggested that the terri

tory should have its own air line, handling both domestic and international traffic, but lack of capital so far has pre vented this plan from mate rialising. However, one benefit is that Air Polynesie has been put on its mettle and service

has improved considerably.

A second domestic service.

Air Tahiti, concentrates on a shuttle between Tahiti and Moorea. It is privately-owned by Marcel Lejeune who also maintains a regular service be tween Tahiti and the small atoll of Tupai, north of Bora Bora, where he has built his own airstrip. A third private company, TATS, which handled mostly charter flights, ceased operations last year.