LEGALITY OF MIL FLT OVER FIJI IS QUESTIONED AFTER C141B ARRIVES AT DEST RAAF BASE. UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE.

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ON THE MORNING OF DEC/XX/95; WHILE AT ENRTE STOP AT PAGO PAGO ISLAND WE WERE INFORMED BY PAGO PAGO TWR THAT OUR RTE OF FLT WOULD HAVE TO BE CHANGED BECAUSE NEW ZEALAND'S AIR TFC CTLRS WERE ON STRIKE. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL NANDI CTL BY LAND LINE TO COORDINATE AN ALTERNATE RTE. THE NANDI CTLR RECOMMENDED A ROUTING WHICH WAS ACCEPTED BY THE FLC. THIS NEW CLRNC; UNFORTUNATELY TOOK OUR ACFT OVER FIJI AIRSPACE; IN WHICH WE DID NOT HAVE DIPLOMATIC CLRNC. ALTHOUGH AT NO TIME; WHILE IN CONTACT WITH NANDI CTL; WERE WE DENIED OUR NEW FILED RTE OF FLT; NOT ONCE DID NANDI CTL REFER TO US ABOUT A DIPLOMATIC CLRNC REQUIREMENT. AFTER LNDG AT RICHMOND RAAF WE DISCOVERED THE DISCREPANCY AND THUS WROTE THIS RPT. WE HOPE THIS RPT WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO OTHER FLCS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR IS A RESERVE MIL PLT. HE WAS FLYING AS '1ST PLT' ON THIS C141B; THE EQUIVALENT POS OF A 'FO.' HE IS ALSO A SCHEDULED AIRLINE FO. THE FLC WAS INVOLVED IN THE INITIAL ENG START AT PAGO PAGO WHEN ATC ADVISED THEM OF THE NEED FOR A RERTE. THE ENG STARTS WERE ABORTED AND THE CREW WENT INSIDE TO TALK WITH NANDI CTR CTLR. THE ACFT COMMANDER SPOKE WITH NANDI SO THE FO ISN'T SURE OF WHAT WAS SAID. THE ACFT COMMANDER WAS NEW TO HIS POS. HE WAS SURPRISED AT THE INFO RECEIVED LATER AT THE RAAF BASE. HIS FIRST QUESTION WAS WITH REF TO THE FACT THAT ACR ACFT GO INTO FIJI ALL THE TIME; SO WHY DON'T THEY NEED A DIPLOMATIC CLRNC? HE IS GOING TO INVESTIGATE THIS SIT OF MIL ACFT VIS-A-VIS CIVILIAN ACFT FLTS AND THE NEED FOR 'DIP CLRNCS' FOR MIL ACFT. IT ISN'T KNOWN IF THE NEW ZEALAND CTLRS ARE STILL ON STRIKE. IT WAS THIS EVENT THAT WAS THE PRECURSOR TO THIS INCIDENT.