CODE 18-77
SS 8/78
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Reference
(16
MR BRYANT
CAIR1
Ans
R
cc Mr Blanks
Mr. Whitaker
Mr Stables 15.4
Mr Burton Mr Clift Mr Colegate
CAP !..CAP 2
CAIR1a MAED/FCO HKD/FCO ✓CAA
REVIEW OF AIR TRANSPORT LICENSING PROCEDURE IN HONG KONG
See (18)
They
At lunch today Mr Keep (Director of Civil Aviation in Hong Kong) told me that the Hong Kong Government intended to review their licensing machinery and the role of their Air Transport Licensing Authority. The existing set-up was not adequate to deal satisfactorily with the demands now being placed upon it. had invited Mr Arnold Kean, until recently the Secretary of the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, to carry out a review, and he would be coming to Hong Kong for this purpose in May. Mr Kean's legal experience would be particularly useful when the statutory basis of the ATLA's operations had to be reviewed.
2 This seems to be a useful development. I encouraged Mr Keep to think in due course of introducing some appeals procedure against decisions of the ATLA, if a satisfactory mechanism could be devised. I also said that, speaking purely personally, I would not object to British Airways being required in future to submit themselves to the licensing procedure like any other British airline. In such circumstances, however, it would be reasonable for BA's existing licences to be accepted, subject only to any specific applications which might later be made for individual licences to be revoked.
3 Although Mr Keep naturally shares the desire of the Hong Kong Government to see Cathay Pacific on the Hong Kong-London route, he was quite relaxed about the current position following the CAA decision. Without any prompting from me he said that he thought some of the first reactions in Hong Kong (eg those who argued for Hong Kong doing their own air service negotiations in future) were exaggerated, although there was no doubt that strong feelings were held. His personal view was that Britain and Hong Kong should continue to negotiate jointly, as at present.
Cur
C W ROBERTS
US/CAIR
Rm 535/V Ext 3229 20 March 1980
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