TNAG-0781-FCO40-985-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1978 — Page 133

GRS 425

CONFIDENTIAL

649

HKK 84/1 акка

TRY NO. 51 1978

REGI TRY

[Action Taken

RECEIVES

CONFIDENTIAL

INDA

48

FM HONG KONG 200047Z NOV 78

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1331 OF 20 NOVEMBER

اعلم

See (51 1655,

660)

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

MY TELNO 1325: NON-SCHEDULED FLIGHTS CANTON TO HONG KONG.

A

DURING THE DISCUSSIONS THE CHINESE SAID THAT THEY WERE VERY ANXIOUS FOR CHARTER FLIGHTS TO CONTINUE BETWEEN CANTON AND KONG KONG, THEY ALSO SPOKE ABOUT INCLUSIVE TOUR CHARTERS TO KWEILIN, HANGCHOW, ETC. BUT NOT UNTIL SPRING NEXT YEAR AT THE EARLIEST. FOR FLIGHTS TO CANTON THEY PROPOSED AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE METHOD A SERIES OF ADVANCE BOOKING CHARTERS (ABC) WITH THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS :

1) ADVANCE BOOKING PERIOD OF 7 DAYS :

(11) FULL CAPACITY OF THE AIRCRAFT TO BE CHARTERED BY CHINA TRAVEL SERVICE (HONG KONG) LTD :

(111) PROVISIONS FOR SUBSTITUTION FROM A WAITING LIST.

3. ALTHOUGH THE ADVANCE BOOKING PERIOD SUGGESTED IS SHORTER THAN WE WOULD NORMALLY ACCEPT, THE CHINESE HAVE CLEARLY MADE A MAJOR EFFORT TO TAILOR THEIR REQUEST TO EXISTING RULES. I SEE CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE IN CONTINUING A SERVICE TO CANTON IN THIS WAY. IT WILL HEOP TO DEVELOP HONG KONG AS A MAJOR POINT OF ENTRY FOR TOURISM IN CHINA: THE CANTON FAIR SERIES WENT WELL: AND CONTINUED FLIGHTS WILL HELP FURTHER TO ERODE THE CHINESE POSITION ON THE USE OF KAI TAK BY CAL. IT WAS A NOTABLE FEATURE OF THE LATEST MEETING THAT THE CHINESE MADE NO MENTION OF THE CAL PROBLEM.

CONFIDENTIAL

We cannot meat the deadline.

A holding reply her been sent

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14.

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