:
GRS 2000A
UNCLASSIFIED
DESK3Y FCO 07090OZ
HICK 184/6
RECEIVED IN RECISTRY NO. 51
13 NOV 1980
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
110
FM HONG KONG 070755Z NDV 80
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1470 OF 7 NOVEMBER
INDEX
No
INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO ( FOR ROBERTS AND KEEP
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON
NIR
MYTELNO 1469: ATLA DECISION.
TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWS.
BEGINS.
PA
Action Taken
AN IS
see (VII
THE AIR TRANSPORT LICENSING AUTHORITY (ATLA) HAS TODAY (7NOVEMBER) ANNOUNCED ITS DECISION ON THE APPLICATION BY LAKER AIRWAYS LIMITED (LAKER) TO OPERATE A SCHEDULED SERVICE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND LONDON AND VICE VERSA. IT HAS ALSO ANNOUNCED ITS DECISION ON APPLICATIONS BY BRITISH CALEDONIAN AIRWAYS LIMITED (BCAL) AND CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED (CPA) TO REMOVE THE FREQUENCY RESTRICTIONS ATTACHED TO THEIR EXISTING LICENCES TO OPERATE THE
SAME ROUTE.
2. THE APPLICATION FROM LAKER WAS RECEIVED IN JUNE THIS YEAR AND
THE APPLICATIONS FROM BCAL AND CPA WERE RECEIVED IN JUNE AND JULY
RESPECTIVELY, BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) LODGED OBJECTIONS TO ALL THREE APPLICATIONS AND THE APPLICANTS LODGED OBJECTIONS TO EACH
OTHER'S APPLICATIONS. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ALSO MADE
REPRESENTATIONS ON THE THREE APPLICATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC.
3. COMPREHENSIVE WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS WERE FILED BY ALL PAPTIES
AND A PUBLIC ENQUIRY WAS HELD IN THE CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING
DIVISION OFFICES, WING ON CENTRE, FROM THE 20 TO THE 24 OCTOBER
INCLUSIVE, AT WHICH FURTHER ORAL EVIDENCE WAS GIVEN. THE HEARING WAS PRESIDED OVER BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ATLA, MR JUSTICE F G PENLINGTON, OBE, AE AND THE ATLA COMPRISED THE FOLLOWING
MEMBERS:
NR MICHAEL S H CHAN, JP
MR EDMOND T C LAU
MR LO KWEE-SEONG, CBE JP
MR T R THOMSON, OBE
MR SANFORD YT YUNG
4. BA, WHICH AT PRESENT OPERATE SEVEN BOEING 747 SERVICES
ON THE ROUTE EVERY WEEK AND ONE BOEING 707 SERVICE, ARE EXEMPT FROM LICENSING UNDER THE AIR TRANSPORT (LICENSING OF AIR SERVICES) RECULATIONS, WHICH APPLY IN HONG KONG, AND REQUIRE NO LICENCE FROM THE ATLA.
5. IN DECEMBER 1979 THE ATLA LICENSED BCAL AND CPA TO OPERATE DAILY
SCHEDULED SERVICES ON THE CABOTAGE ROUTE, BUT RESTRICTED THIS FREQUENCY TO 4 SERVICES A WEEK FOR BOAL AND 3 SERVICES A WEEK
FOR CPA UNTIL APRIL 1982.
6. IN MARCH 1960 THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAA) IN LONDON
DECIDED THAT THE ROUTE WOULD ONLY SUPPORT ONE CARRIER IN ADDITION
TO SA AND LICENSED BOAL ONLY. CPA AND LAKER, WHICH HAD ALSO
APPLIED TO