TNAG-0863-FCO40-1073-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 55

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

本署檔號 OUR REF.: CR 3/951/79

來函檔號 YOUR REF.:

1

CONFIDENTIAL

AKKAY/

3 APR 1979

Y AIR

по

23144

Hong Kong & General Department,

R.J.T. McLaren, Esq.,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH.

Near Robin,

185

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

Si LOWER ALBERT ROAD

REGRY

Acton T. Kan

HONG KONG

(23rd March 1979

Discussed this tall (AED,

The Hahavn, the have complete autonomy on

aw charter. MAED well reply.

Air cargo charters: Hong Kong/USA

I am writing to you about HMA, Washington's telegram No. 664 of 14th February 1979, in which he reported to FCO on a round of air services discussions which included "cargo liberalization" (para 2) as an agenda item.

34.

It is not clear from the telegram to what extent the matters discussed had relevance to trans- Pacific services or, indeed, whether the agreement being sought covered services to/from Hong Kong as well as those across the Atlantic. So far as the trans-Pacific is concerned, cargo charters have been few and far between and the market is therefore dominated by the scheduled airlines, notably Flying Tigers, Northwest and Pan American. We have been told from time to time that it would be difficult for charter operators to break into this market not only because of the directional flow of the cargo (the USA-Hong Kong flow is thin), but also because the US aeronautical authorities have chosen to adopt a restrictive policy which severely limits the number of charter flights permitted. We do not know whether the latter assertion is true, but if liberalization is to be the order of the day, then we are keen that this policy should extend to services between Hong Kong and the US.

The DCA has recently received a letter from Trans International Airlines (TIA) indicating that they have filed for a waiver from the US Civil Aviation Board for authority to operate charter flights on a split passenger/cargo basis. TIA expect USCAB approval to be forthcoming and ask if the DCA would react favourably to this type of operation from US points to Hong Kong and vice versa. We had replied to the effect that it is not current policy to authorize such flights to or from Hong Kong.

CONFIDENTIAL

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