AIR MAIL SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 73, 23 September 1930, Page 9

AIR MAIL SERVICE

LINKING THE EMPIRE

THE MACHNES TO BE USED

British Official Wlreloss. RUGBY, 22nd September. The regular air mail route between London and Cape Town which Imperial Airways are to operate next year will halve tho distance in tho time botween. these two points.

There will at first be 11 days in each direction, but it is anticipated that this will before long be reduced to 9.

The Union of South Africa, which has supported the scheme from the beginning, is making a substantial contribution to the necessary subsidy, and is actively assisting tho project in othor ways. The Governments of the Sudan, Konya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Northern Rhodesia are also • cooperating, and the Egyptian Government, which is not contributing to the subsidy, is providing valuable facilities for the service. All the authorities concerned have throughout tho negotiations appreciated the advantages, both local and general,.of tho enterprise, which will immensely improve communications between widely separated parts of tho Empire. The first half of the route to be in operation in January will extend from London to Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, which is 2600 miles irorn Cairo and 150 miles from Nairobi. The route btiosen for the remaining 3000 miles, to the Cape, after following the Nile, will pass through Uganda, Tanganyika, and Rhodesia. The short Calcutta type of flying boats will be used between Khartoum and Kisumu and will alight on the Nile and the lakes. The land machines to be used along the route will be Armstrong-yWhitworth Argosies and De Haviland Hercules. AH the machines will have three'engines each. The route will serve much undeveloped territory and has been designed to permit the eventual provision of branch services at various points.