Fiji and the new Pacific flight route
FIJI was top of Air New Zealand's list when the airline Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (then called TEAL) decided it was ready to take the first steps towards expanding its operation.
This was highlighted in Times on June 6, 1975.
The airline concentrated solely on the Tasman crossing from Auckland to Sydney for the first 10 years of its operation, but on June 6, 1950, Air New Zealand took over the Auckland-Suva route, previously operated by the National Airways Corporation (NAC).
This first service was flown by a Solent-class flying-boat and the 1330-mile trip was completed between midnight and breakfast, a far cry from today's DC-10s which can now fly the Auckland-Nadi sector in less than three hours.
When Air New Zealand took over the service, NAC was relieved of the obligation to maintain and operate an orphan Sunderland flying-boat.
An extension of this new Pacific Island Solent service was opened between Suva and Labasa but was discontinued in December, 1951.
In that same month Air New Zealand extended the Auckland-Suva route to Western Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti and at the same time bought another Solent aircraft to, which brought the fleet to a total of five.
This new three-sector service became widely known and patronised as the Coral Route. By 1953 Air New
The Fiji sands of dollars.
June 21
THE Fiji Electricity Authority would suffer a substantial loss for the next five years, the Minister for Communications, Edward Beddoes, told the House of Representatives yesterday. This was announced after a survey was carried out by the FEA.
June 23
LABASA Sugar Mill reported a record crush of 21,343 tons of cane during the week ending on Friday. The mill's general manager, Bill King, said it set the previous record of 20,759 tons in one week last year. The cane supply was strong and the weather was favourably dry last week, he said.
June 24
OWNERS of Fiji cars operating without seatbelts are liable to prosecution. The Assistant Controller of Transport, Manu Korovulavula, said yesterday the law required all vehicles registered after January 1, 1974 to have seatbelts in the two front seats approved by the Transport Department.
June 25
LAUTOKA Business House Soccer Association had rejected a complaint by the Lands Department team about a rematch with Medical. The management committee unanimously ruled out a replay proposal. Medical now goes into the grand final of the business house soccer competition. Meanwhile, the management committee ordered a replay between Fiji Pine and Northern Furniture.
June 26
DEMANDS for taxi proprietors to install
TEAL begins its Hibiscus route with a DC6 flight in 1954.
Zealand was scheduling five return services every four weeks between Auckland and Suva.
Suva-Apia was operated three times each month, Suva-Papua New Guinea fortnightly and SuvaTonga was introduced as a monthly extension to the Auckland-Suva operation.
A sales and information office was opened in Suva during this period of expansion.
Staff members were not employed in Nadi until 1956, after landplanes were introduced to the island group. It was on May 15, 1954, that a TEAL DC-6 first touched down at Nadi, chosen in favour of Suva as the new airport site.
But Laucala Bay continued to play host to flying-boats until September, 1960.
It was retained to operate the FijiSamoa-Cook Islands-Tahiti sectors of the Coral Route. When Electra's were being introduced on the company's services in 1960, the now displaced DC-6s were used to operate the old Coral Route flying from
Fiji to Bora Bora, Tahiti.
Sales offices were opened in Nadi and Lautoka in 1964 and 1967 respectively, as the demand for travel between Fiji and New Zealand became greater.
Air New Zealand operated its first DC-8 flight from Auckland to Los Angeles in December 1965 as a weekly service with occasional stopovers in Nadi.
When the frequency grew to four flights a week Fiji was introduced as a second stopover on a weekly basis, providing Fiji with its first regular direct links with North America.
Now that the frequency had increased to eight DC-10 flights a week, two services were routed through Fiji. At the end of 1973 the Coral Route was re-introduced with DC-8s bringing Fiji further on to the Air New Zealand map.
Only months later the South Island was linked with the Fiji group from Christchurch and this service operated twice a week. seatbelts in their cars were additional pressure and could cause strangling, two senior Western Division taxi officials said yesterday. They were commenting on a statement by the Assistant Controller of Transport, Manu Korovulavula, who said owners of Fiji cars operating without seatbelts were liable to prosecution.
June 27
YAQONA has become a favoured cash crop for many Fijian farmers. It has a good export market to Britain and West Germany which were built up since sales from Fiji began in 1971. However, despite the good demand and the reasonably high price, the Fiji market supply fell short earlier this year that Tongan yaqona had to be imported for sale in the local markets.
June 28
HORSE racing at Votualevu, Nadi, raised $900 last Saturday. The organiser, Murray Charters, of-the Southern Development Co, said all the money would go to the Fiji Blind Society. He said the money raised bought sporting equipment last year for secondary schools.
June 30
FORMER New Zealand boxing champion Bobby Stininato wanted a crack at Sunia Cama's South Seas light-heavyweight title. But unless the rules changed, he would not get the chance. The secretary of the Fiji Professional Boxing and Wrestling Association, Mumtaz Ali, confirmed this yesterday.
Mr Ali said the South Seas titles were originally set up for South Seas islanders. "It excluded New Zealanders and Australians, so Stininato is out of the question completely," he said.
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