AUSTRALIAN AIR LINES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1940, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN AIR LINES

FIGURES OF REMARKABLE —-A 260 FLIGHTS NO FATAL ACCIDENT IN TWO YEARS. Since 1935 the annual mileage flown by Australian air lines has increased from 1,320.594 to 7,950,000. Since 1938 about 200.000 passengers have been carried. These figures are revealed in the latest summary from the Commonwealth Civil Aviation Department, which also points out that the air lines have been free from fatal accidents involving passengers since October 1, 1938. Every week the 32 subsidised air lines, and four unsubsidised services operating regular passenger, mail, and freight schedules make 260 flights. The longest route flown by an Australian company is Sydney-Darwin-Singapore, a distance ol 4,669 miles. The two longest one-day flights operated by Australian services are Mel-bourne-Perth (1,809 miles), flown by Australian National Airways, and Ade-laide-Darwin (1,665 miles), flown by Guinea Airways. Another long service is Sydney-Cooktown-Rabaul (2,522 miles), under the management of Carpenter Airlines. One of the most 'air links is from Cairns to Horn ftL ai n Torres Straits, via Cooktown. Coeli, and Wenlock. This air line of 518 miles links the mainland with Thursday Island, and is flown by Airlines of Australia. It is pointed out that considerable improvements have been effected to ailnavigation wireless aids.