BBC Summary of World Broadcasts

January 06, 2000, Thursday

Australia-East Timor scheduled flights to be launched by end of January

Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0700 gmt 5 Jan 00

Text of report by Radio Australia on 5th January

Australia's first regular commercial flights to East Timor should be operating by the end of the month, following this week's reopening of Dili airport to commercial traffic. The Northern Territory-based airline Air North says it will begin regular passenger flights between Darwin and Dili as soon as it receives final approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The company has been conducting charter flights to East Timor since August, but chief executive (?Michael Bridge) says he expects an increase in travel back to Australia in the coming months.

[Bridge] The real benefit is to the customers, at the end of the day, where they can pay reasonable air fares by the passenger rather than by the aeroplane, or having to subsidize aircraft going over full and coming back empty, as is currently the case.

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