TNAG-0965-FCO40-1184-Air-services-between-the-UK-and-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 21

:

GRS 2000A

UNCLASSIFIED

DESK3Y FCO 07090OZ

HICK 184/6

RECEIVED IN RECISTRY NO. 51

13 NOV 1980

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

110

FM HONG KONG 070755Z NDV 80

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1470 OF 7 NOVEMBER

INDEX

No

INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO ( FOR ROBERTS AND KEEP

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON

NIR

MYTELNO 1469: ATLA DECISION.

TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWS.

BEGINS.

PA

Action Taken

AN IS

see (VII

THE AIR TRANSPORT LICENSING AUTHORITY (ATLA) HAS TODAY (7NOVEMBER) ANNOUNCED ITS DECISION ON THE APPLICATION BY LAKER AIRWAYS LIMITED (LAKER) TO OPERATE A SCHEDULED SERVICE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND LONDON AND VICE VERSA. IT HAS ALSO ANNOUNCED ITS DECISION ON APPLICATIONS BY BRITISH CALEDONIAN AIRWAYS LIMITED (BCAL) AND CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED (CPA) TO REMOVE THE FREQUENCY RESTRICTIONS ATTACHED TO THEIR EXISTING LICENCES TO OPERATE THE

SAME ROUTE.

2. THE APPLICATION FROM LAKER WAS RECEIVED IN JUNE THIS YEAR AND

THE APPLICATIONS FROM BCAL AND CPA WERE RECEIVED IN JUNE AND JULY

RESPECTIVELY, BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) LODGED OBJECTIONS TO ALL THREE APPLICATIONS AND THE APPLICANTS LODGED OBJECTIONS TO EACH

OTHER'S APPLICATIONS. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ALSO MADE

REPRESENTATIONS ON THE THREE APPLICATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC.

3. COMPREHENSIVE WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS WERE FILED BY ALL PAPTIES

AND A PUBLIC ENQUIRY WAS HELD IN THE CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING

DIVISION OFFICES, WING ON CENTRE, FROM THE 20 TO THE 24 OCTOBER

INCLUSIVE, AT WHICH FURTHER ORAL EVIDENCE WAS GIVEN. THE HEARING WAS PRESIDED OVER BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ATLA, MR JUSTICE F G PENLINGTON, OBE, AE AND THE ATLA COMPRISED THE FOLLOWING

MEMBERS:

NR MICHAEL S H CHAN, JP

MR EDMOND T C LAU

MR LO KWEE-SEONG, CBE JP

MR T R THOMSON, OBE

MR SANFORD YT YUNG

4. BA, WHICH AT PRESENT OPERATE SEVEN BOEING 747 SERVICES

ON THE ROUTE EVERY WEEK AND ONE BOEING 707 SERVICE, ARE EXEMPT FROM LICENSING UNDER THE AIR TRANSPORT (LICENSING OF AIR SERVICES) RECULATIONS, WHICH APPLY IN HONG KONG, AND REQUIRE NO LICENCE FROM THE ATLA.

5. IN DECEMBER 1979 THE ATLA LICENSED BCAL AND CPA TO OPERATE DAILY

SCHEDULED SERVICES ON THE CABOTAGE ROUTE, BUT RESTRICTED THIS FREQUENCY TO 4 SERVICES A WEEK FOR BOAL AND 3 SERVICES A WEEK

FOR CPA UNTIL APRIL 1982.

6. IN MARCH 1960 THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAA) IN LONDON

DECIDED THAT THE ROUTE WOULD ONLY SUPPORT ONE CARRIER IN ADDITION

TO SA AND LICENSED BOAL ONLY. CPA AND LAKER, WHICH HAD ALSO

APPLIED TO