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RECEIVE
1 ^ MAR 1978
DECK OFFL
INDEX
PA
No
BRITISH EMBASSY.
HANOI.
છે
7 March 1978
166
Dr D Wilson
Political Adviser HONG KONG
Bora word.
CIVIL AVIATION: SRV/HONG KONG
1.
left
tals
Mr van der Sluis of HAECO, gave me a few snippets of information before he
One was that the Vietnamese talked a good deal about the purchase of new for second-hand) aircraft. I have left it to him to explore the possibilities; I have sent material in the past but without result. Van der Sluis is thinking of the British Airways tridents when these are phased out.
$3. The Vietnamese were also talking about charter flights from Vietnam (both
Hanoi and Saigon) to Hong Kong, and, in the long run, passenger flights (compare my letter of 2 March),
He found them very careful and competent operators. All their pilots were Vietnamese, and a good many of their Saigon staff are Southerners. Their work- shops were in good order.
5. HAECO are building up a useful trade in spares (they are having to be somewhat cautious about their sources of supply and therefore things go a little slowly, but they seem to have no worries about the US embargo). Reconditioned engines are already on their way back to Vietnam by nea. The trade is limited for the moment but HAECO are working for the inside lane once the Vietnamese have the resources to expand. They have promised to find a market for about $750,000 worth of Boeing 727 spares, which are in good order and whose ownership they do not think the Americans dispute. They cannot however hope to handle the forty or so C130s, plus some Caribous. The Vietnamese are also hoping to sell the DC6B belonging to Marshal Ky, still sitting on Clark Field, which the USA are apparently prepared to release.
You
Robert Tesh
Lok
HM Ambassador
Robert Trick
BCAFFB, Hong Kong
TH Staples Esq C Air 1, DOT
J A B Stewart Eɛq OBE HK & GD, FCO
BTC, Hong Kong
CRE, DOT
Ps walk
25 hamm
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