TNAG-0964-FCO40-1183-Air-services-between-the-UK-and-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 141

DSR 11 (Revised)

DRAFT:

Xe/letter/teletter/despatchnotex

FROM:

SECRETARY OF STATE

DEPARTMENT:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

Sir Freddie Laker,

Laker Airways

SUBJECT:

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

Copies to:

..In Confidence

CAVEAT...................

I

Enclosures-flag(s)...........

John Nott has passed on to me your letter of

17 March as it concerns the position of the Hong Kong

Government rather more than his civil aviation respon-

sibilities.

2.

As you point out, the Hong Kong Air Transport

(Licensing of Air Services) Regulations were issued in

1949. As the Licensing Authority has not had an appli-

cation to consider for some 20 years, it is perhaps not

surprising that the regulations have not been up-dated on

a regular basis. The Hong Kong Government have however

now invited Mr Arnold Kean, until recently the Secretary

of the UK CAA, to review the licensing machinery and the

role of the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority.

It mya of course be a little time before his recommenda-

tions can be put into effect, but I have no doubt they

will lead to a useful revision of the 1949 regulations.

I do however find it difficult to accept that the

licensing criteria in Hong Kong are 'totally at odds'

with those in the 1971 Civil Aviation Act, which still

governs the decisions of the CAA here.

/3.

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