PACIFIC AIR SERVICE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20043, 15 September 1939, Page 12

PACIFIC AIR SERVICE

INTERRUPTION UNLIKELY FURTHER SURVEY TRIPS FIJI ('ALL PLANNED (For Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Despite the European war. there is 1 no indication that the South Pacific air service launched by Pan-American Airways will be suspended. Advice has been received by the New Zealand representative of the company, Mr. Harold Gatty. that at present there are no known reasons why the proposals should be interrupted. Mr. Gatty said -that or. ac- > count of their exploratory nature, the first few flights between San Francisco and Auckland would not be governed by a schedule, but when the ' route had been thoroughly surveyed regular running would commence. No Word had yet been received as to when the California Clipper would begin her second flight to New Zealand. but it was likely it woidd b,; undertaken within the next few weeks. Plans are now being prepared for the enlargement of Pan-American Airways administration building at the air base in Mechanics’- Bay to about

twice its existing size. The present L.ock was erected to meet only the temporary needs of the company and. with the announcement of the regular service now in sight, the original plans for substantially increasing the space and for providing all the necessary terminal facilities are to be put into effect. It is considered certain that the California Clipper, again under the command of Captain Tilton, will make her second flight to New Zealand. Several surveys of the new route are essential preliminary to 'the introduction of a regular ocean air service. and it is not likely that passen-ger-carrying operations will be begun for at least several months. These activities will probably be preceded i by the carriage of mails and express 1 freight. An important development in the proposals is 'he understanding that the future route across the Pacific ;s to include a call at Fiji. This is in ! line with the statement made in July by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, who said the company had undertaken to make experiments! ' flights i‘o Fiji and to continue to use (lie Group as a port of call, should h be found practicable to do so from technical and operational points of view. Landing and other facilities have yet to be established on one of the islands, to enable calls to be made at Fiji, which lies midway between 'he company's new bases at Canton Island and Noumea. It is understood that an alighting place has not yet been chosen.