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in London.
4.
The
The Malaysians' appeals to sentiment and the emotion that
characterised their complaints about our alleged neglect did not
obscure the fact that in air services terms (the terms within
which all governments, developing and developed, normally conduct
such negotiations) the Malaysians had no case for extra services.
Take for example the bland request (see paragraph 6 of the des-
patch) for a switch from Boeing 707s to DC10s, as if this was
something the Malaysians could expect to get for nothing, when
it meant something like doubling MAS capacity on the route.
Air Services Agreement did not mention the possibility of a change
of aircraft because at the time of its signature larger aircraft
were not yet flying. But capacity, not just frequency of flights,
is the normal measurement used in allocating services to each
side in an Air Services Agreement. Again the argument that British
Airways should have made more use of its unlimited capacity on
the London route is unsound traffic projections showed no scope
for big increases in capacity and there was no advantage for BA
in flying half empty 'planes. The figures attached at annex to
this submission show how the balance lay, with the Malaysians
out-earning BA and CPA by 2 to 1 or more, over the years.
5. One lesson from this is the need for great patience and
tact in negotiating with Malaysian officials. At the talks in
/London
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