TNAG-0869-FCO40-1079-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 158

GRS 400

UN ASSIFIED

FM PEKING 261040Z JUL 79

TO FLASH FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 675 OF 26 JULY

AND TO FLASH HONG KONG.

fA....

HKK.184/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO.

27 JUL 1979

IND

DESK OFFICE

s

238

MY TELNO 571: UK/PRC AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.

1.

FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF PRESS STATEMENT AS ISSUED TO REUTERS 260900Z, INCORPORATING LAST MINUTE CHANGES AS REQUESTED BY LU. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DIFFERS IN PARAS 2 AND 3 FROM TEXT TRANSMIT- TED TO HONG KONG AT THEIR REQUEST IN OUR TELNO.54 TO HONG KONG.

2.

FOLLOWING SEVERAL WEEKS OF NEGOTIATION IN PEKING, A BRITISH DELEGATION HAS REACHED AGREEMENT WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT FOR STARTING AIR SERVICES BETWEEN CHINA AND

BOTH LONDON AND HONG KONG.

A FORMAL AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT HAS BEEN INITIALLED. THIS IS AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE AGREEMENT INITIALLED IN 1973 AND PROVIDES FOR SCHEDULED SERVICES BY BOTH SIDES ON A TRUNK ROUTE LINKING LONDON WITH PEKING VIA THE MIDDLE EAST. BRITISH AIRWAYS WILL BE ABLE TO ROUTE THEIR SERVICES THROUGH HONG KONG FOR THE TIME BEING. THEY WILL START WITH TWO SERVICES A WEEK, USING B 747'S. CAAC WILL ALSO OPERATE TWO SERVICES A WEEK, PROBABLY USING B707'S IN THE FIRST INSTANCE. THE TARGET DATE FOR STARTING SERVICES BY BOTH

SIDES IS 1 APRIL 1989.

PROVISION HAS ALSO BEEN MADE FOR SCHEDULED SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE MOST IMPORTANT CITIES IN CHINA. CAAC WILL BE ABLE

TO START SERVICES FROM PEKING, SHANGHAI AND SOME OTHER CITIES

TO HONG KONG.

THEY WILL ALSO CONTINUE THEIR CANTON SERVICE WHICH HAS BEEN

OPERATED UNDER TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENTS PENDING THESE NEGOTIATIONS. ON THE BRITISH SIDE, A HONG KONG BASED CARRIER WILL OPERATE

/ BETWEEN HONG KONG