D 5
AIR SERVICES, 1938.
1. The continued growth of civil aviation caused a large increase in the amount of traffic handled at Kai Tak Airport; for example, the number of passengers arriving and departing has risen from 3,685 in 1937 to 9,969 in the year under review. Hong Kong was included in the Empire "all-up" air mail scheme in September and from that date Imperial Airways, Ltd. operated their service to Bangkok twice instead of once weekly and services were often duplicated. In August Air France extended its Paris-Hanoi service to Hong Kong and the following air lines now maintain regular schedules from the airport :—
Imperial Airways, Ltd. twice weekly to Bangkok connecting with the England-Australia trunk route.
Air France, once weekly to Paris, via Hanoi.
Pan American Airways once weekly to San Francisco via Manila.
China National Aviation Corporation and Eurasia Aviation Corporation to Kweilin and Chungking.
EFFECT OF SINO-JAPANESE CONFLICT.
2. On the morning of the 24th August a Douglas D.C.2 air liner of C.N.A.C., outward bound, was forced down by Japanese aircraft 30 minutes after leaving Hong Kong. The American pilot, Chinese radio operator and one passenger escaped but the remaining 14 passengers were either killed by machine gun bullets or drowned when the aircraft sank in the river on which it had been forced to descend.
A Junkers J.U. 52 aircraft of Eurasia was fired at by Japanese machines when flying from Hong Kong to Luchow on 5th September. The aircraft was hit by 10 bullets but there were no casualties and the journey was safely completed.
These incidents led to the temporary suspension of the services until night flying operations were inaugurated. C.N.A.C. and Eurasia now operate in and out of Hong Kong entirely between sunset and sunrise.
The fall of Hankow and Canton to the Japanese entailed the abandonment of air services to these towns, but very heavy loads of passengers and mails are carried to those places in China still accessible by air.
THE FAR EAST FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL, LTD.
3. This school maintained a fleet of five aeroplanes during the year which flew a total of 1,900 hours, including the training of the Air Arm of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, six Reserve of Air Force Officers and 28 pupils for flying licences, and 160 hours for Army Co-operation purposes. Twenty-six Government certificates were awarded to pupils of the engineering section of the company.
AERODROME EQUIPMENT.
4. A new 1,200,000 c.p. floodlight has been installed on the north boundary of the landing area to replace the one destroyed in the typhoon of September, 1937.
A semi-permanent terminal building has been erected near the sea wall for traffic arriving by flying boat services.
ACCIDENTS.
5. No accident to aircraft causing injury to personnel occurred within the Colony.
STATISTICS.
6. Revenue, expenditure and figures for the year's working are shown in the accompanying Tables,
9th February, 1939.
G. F. HOLE,
Director of Air Services.