AIR SERVICE STARTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 52, 27 February 1945, Page 5

AIR SERVICE STARTS

COMMENCEMENT MARCH 5

m .NO STOPS AT OPOTJIvI OR TAURANGA

-fhe hand over ol' the DHB6 plane enow available for the Gisbornc air tlink is likely to take plaee before '-fthe end of this 'week and present -indications are that the service between Gisborne and Auckland, on -'the one hand s and Gisborne and "Palmerston North on the other liand will be put into operation on Mon--iclay > March 5 states the Gisborne IHerald. to this effect has been 'received by the Gisborne manager for Union Airways Mr K. W. Bull ;(Opotiki) who intimated that the manager of Union Airvvays ? -Mr A. G. Gerrand 5 had visited Gis"borne during the past few days to complete arrangements for the reinstatement of the company's sex-vice. "The -plane servicing unit for Gis~ -horne has been appointed and Mr J.. v'Pellow -aircraft engineer, is again be in charge of the unit there. iMr Pellow who was stationed in Gis.9 .-borne before the has served with the R.N.Z.A.F. in the meantime and at Union Airways' Palmer~ston North station. The chief engineer to the company also arrived in -Gisborne to inspect the facilities ravliilable and complete the servicing •preparations at the Gisborne station.

{ It is expected that the DHB6 AVill be/ in the hands of the company's -engineers for at least a week undergoing the necessary adjustments before entering upon her fairly heavy schedule of passenger flying. Completion of these adjustments will deof course, the date, of the commencement of the service, and March 5 is the earliest date at which the company can expect to put the inahine. into operation from Gisborne. Bay Towns Omitted The Opotiki Chamber of Commerce has been very active in advocating the resumption of the Auck-land-Gisborne air service and it was taken for granted that Opotiki and Tauranga would, be. intermediate Stopping places. y The OpotJ'ki Chamber forwarded telegrams to the Tauranga and Auckland Chambers asking for their support in securing a resumption of the air link. In reply the. Auckland Chamber of Commerce wrote:— you for your letter telegram received on the 17th on which date we immediately telegraphed pinion Airways. Our confirming letter to Union Airways reads: It has come to the notice of this chamber that the. Government lias granted a permit fqr an air service on the East (ftast of the North Island. On. 17th Instant we telegraphed you requesting that special consideration should be given to Auckland-Gisborne re quirements.. May we again stress the importance of connecting Auckland with Gisborne by air at the earliest possible moment. As you are no doubt aware there is no dircct railway service and Gisborne is very seriously isolated from the. Auckland Metropolitan Area, both for goods and passengers, and it i& the opinion of this chamber that the most important air gap now remaining-in the North Island is that between Auckland aryi Gisborne. When framing your timetable Ave would solicit your earnest consideration of this Hfcpcct of the matter, particularly endeavouring to include Opotiki as Opotiki is the only Borough with more than 1500 inhabitants, outside the Nelson Provincial District that has no railway service connecting it with the rest of the Dominion.'" A letter from Union. Airways of itf.Z., Ltd. } stating that Opotiki and Tauranga will be. omitted from the service lias just been received by the secretary of the Opotiki Chamber of Commerce. The letter states: "We have, to acknowledge receipt of j telegram of February 16 in connection with the resumption of the Auckland-Gisborne service and while we are now hopeful of resumijig this service almost immediately we regret that until additional equipment is available it will not be possible to extend the present proposal which dQes not provide for intermediate calls at Opotiki and Taufcto as previously. The future air ■services must necessarily include the Ipre-war network,." | ssTo the above letter, the secretary lof the Opotiki Chamber forwarded Ithe following telegram: I "As Opotiki isolated from rail urIgently request that it be. made in■t'ermediate calling place."