ENG-1963 — Page 330

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COMMUNICATIONS

Opportunities for private flying are somewhat restricted because of the size of the Colony and by the obvious difficulties of operating from a busy international airport. Light aircraft are available at the Far East Flying Training School, established in 1934, which has done much to foster a spirit of air-mindedness in the Colony. The school also offers full-time courses of training in aeronautical engineering and electronics.

The Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited pro- vides maintenance, overhaul and repair facilities at the airport for a wide range of aircraft, including the latest jet airliners. Their two hangars can accommodate the largest aircraft likely to operate into Hong Kong within the next decade:-

Two locally based airlines operate aircraft registered in the Colony. Cathay Pacific Airways operate a wide network of routes extending to India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, using Convair 880 and Lockheed Electra aircraft. Macau Air Transport Company Limited has flights by Piaggio P 136 amphib- ious aircraft to nearby Macau. Some 170 scheduled services arrive each week at Hong Kong airport, operated by 20 international airlines, in addition to numerous charter and non-scheduled flights. The majority of scheduled services are now operated by the most modern types of jet aircraft including the Comet IV, Boeing 707, Douglas DC8 and Convair 880 and 990.

The volume of air traffic continued to increase steadily during the year and passenger, freight and mail figures showed increases of some 9.1 per cent, 18 per cent and 18.6 per cent, respectively over the preceding year.

KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY

The British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway runs from the southern end of the Kowloon peninsula to the Chinese frontier at Sham Chun where it joins the Chinese railway system, the northern bank of the Sham Chun River forming the international boundary at this point. Since 1949 passengers have had to change trains at the border between the Colony and China and walk the 300 yards between the two termini. Mail and goods traffic in wagon loads, however, travel through without transhipment.

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