DSR 11 (Revised)
DRAFT:
Xe/letter/teletter/despatchnotex
FROM:
SECRETARY OF STATE
DEPARTMENT:
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
TO:
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
Sir Freddie Laker,
Laker Airways
SUBJECT:
TEL. NO:
TYPE: Draft/Final 1+
Reference
Your Reference
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..In Confidence
CAVEAT...................
I
Enclosures-flag(s)...........
John Nott has passed on to me your letter of
17 March as it concerns the position of the Hong Kong
Government rather more than his civil aviation respon-
sibilities.
2.
As you point out, the Hong Kong Air Transport
(Licensing of Air Services) Regulations were issued in
1949. As the Licensing Authority has not had an appli-
cation to consider for some 20 years, it is perhaps not
surprising that the regulations have not been up-dated on
a regular basis. The Hong Kong Government have however
now invited Mr Arnold Kean, until recently the Secretary
of the UK CAA, to review the licensing machinery and the
role of the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority.
It mya of course be a little time before his recommenda-
tions can be put into effect, but I have no doubt they
will lead to a useful revision of the 1949 regulations.
I do however find it difficult to accept that the
licensing criteria in Hong Kong are 'totally at odds'
with those in the 1971 Civil Aviation Act, which still
governs the decisions of the CAA here.
/3.
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