380
628
GR 155
PRIORITY
CYPHER/CAT A
**** :
393
HKK 184/!...
CONFIDENTIAL
Ref.
10 JUL 1978
PA
TY
Teken
FM HONG KONG 071000Z
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F.C.O TEL NO.856 OF 7 JULY 78,
INFO PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
PEKING TELNO.388 : NON-SCHEDULED FLIGHTS BETWEEN
CHINA AND HONG KONG.
Seen 409
1. WE HAVE NOT RECENTLY HAD ANY SPECIFIC APPROACH FROM JARDINES ABOUT THE IDEA OF SCHEDULED CHARTERS DURING THE CANTON FAIR.
NOR HAS THERE BEEN ANY APPROACH FROM BRITISH AIRWAYS. HOWEVER, THE GENERAL IDEAS RAISED BY NEWBIGGING HAVE BEEN IN THE AIR FOR SOME TIME. INFORMAL DISCUSSION WITH THE NCNA HAS REVEALED' THAT THE CANTON AUTHORITIES HAVE ALSO BEEN CONSIDERING THE
ACH ING. A DEFINITE MATTER ALTHOUGH, SO FAR AS WE KNOW, WITHOUT RE
CONCLUSION.
2. IT IS NOT CLEAR FROM PEKING'S TELEGRAM PRECISELY WHAT JARDINES
HAVE IN MIND. THEIR ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO CHARTER A CAAC BOEING 707 IT SEEMS THAT THEY ARE NOW THINKING OF USING A BRITISH AIRWAYS AIRCRAFT. WE HOPE TO CLARIFY THIS POINT AFTER NEWBIGGING RETURNS
FROM CHINA ON 8 JULY.
3. OUR OWN POSITION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-SCHEDULED FLIGHTS
WAS SET OUT IN MY TELNOS. 473 AND 524. WE AGREE WITH PARA.3 OF PEKING'S TEL UNDER REF THAT WE SHOULD VIEW THE LATEST IDEAS IN A POSITIVE LIGHT AND SEEK TO EXTRACT WHAT BENEFIT WE CAN. AS FOR DEMONSTRATING THAT THE USE OF KAI TAK BY CAAC AIRCRAFT CAN BE MADE INNOCUOUS, THAT WOULD DEPEND ON WHETHER JARDINES PLAN TO USE CAAC AIRCRAFT. IF THEY DO, WE WOULD TRY TO KEEP THEM SEPARATE FROM ANY CAL FLIGHTS BUT THIS IS HARDER FOR FLIGHTS USING THE PASSENGER APRON THAN FOR THOSE FREIGHT FLIGHTS WE HAVE SO FAR
HANDLED WHICH HAVE USED THE CARGO APRON.
CONFIDENTIAL
/4. WE