INTERNATIONAL AVIATION AND TOURISM DIVIS
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE
1 VICTORIA STREET
A F Blake-Pauley Esq
Personnel Services Department
FCO
2 Matthew Parker Street
London SW1H 9NL
Dear Blake. Pauley,
"
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
LONDON SW1H (
T
Cheetahs
distinction.
M
I believe it is not generally understood perhaps because no-one has ever troubled to make it clear that Cathay Pacific Airways, although based in Hong Kong, is a UK airline. It is owned 70% by the Swire Group of London and 30% by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the airline's B747s and L1011 Tristar are all fitted with Rolls Royce engines, so that altogether the UK has a substantial stake in the company and derives considerable benefit from it.
2 On many routes, particularly in Asia and the Far East, Cathay Pacific provides considerably more frequent services than any UK based airline, and it is our practice in this Department to give them preference after BA in making bookings before the services of other airlines are considered. I would hope that your Posts could be asked to do the same.
3
If you agree I wonder if you could send a "Dear Administration Officer" letter to all your Posts in the Gulf and points east of there drawing their attention to Cathay Pacific as a British airline, enclosing the attached route map as an indication of the extent of CPA services, and asking them to treat Cathay Pacific as a British carrier for the purposes of paragraph 11.14 of Volume 22 of the Diplomatic Service Procedure. BA (and also BCAL's London- Dubai-Hong Kong service) should continue to be given first priority since these airlines are not only UK owned but UK based, and the benefit to the balance of payments is therefore greater, but Cathay Pacific should be given priority above all other overseas airlines.
4 I am copying this letter to Ron Sindon in MAED.
HMG Stevens
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