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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0708.PDF
368 FLIGHT ApRIL 6TH> x944 CONTINENTAL AIR TRANSPORT The number of miles flown decreased in 1941, while revenue from passenger traffic increased, probably due to higher rates. In 1942 the total revenue of the company was higher than in 1941, but this was due mainly to in creased subsidies and payment for work '' executed for third parties," presumably by the Swissair workshops for the Swiss Air Force. Another symptomatic wartime feature is the book value of the air fleet, which in 1941 was lower by about 22 per cent, than in 1940; because of the rapid modern develop ment, it is explained—the Swiss equipment which is not being replaced at present becomes rapidly obsolete. This aif fleet is composed of four D,C.3s with 1,150 h.p. engines, three D.C.2S with 750 h.p. engines, and one FVIIa, one D.H. Dragon and one A.C.4. While the American machines are being used on scheduled services, the A.C.4 is employed on charter, especially flights for sufferers of whooping cough, for which mountain flights are now a recognised cure. Reports for 1943 indicated that most of the air traffic is moribund, the only remnant of the once widespread Swiss system being the Zurich-Stuttgart-Zurich line. At the same time, the Swiss are not neglecting the post war problems of their air transport. Because of the in crease in range of commercial aircraft types it is feared there that Switzerland may lose her position as an air junction in the Continental European system, and will have to develop commercial air services so as to meet the needs of her own economy. To this end a project has been pre pared for the extension and construction of airports at Zurich, Basle, Geneva and possibly Berne, to cater for international European landplane traffic and a central air port for transatlantic services. For such revival of activities as may take place after the war, the Swissair company is meanwhile vigorously pre paring a cadre of trained personnel. At its headquarters at Dubendorf courses are held for wireless operators, navigators, pilots and ground' engineers, at whiclr the traditionally high standards are maintained. In Turkey the pre-war fleet of the Services Aeriehs Tares consisted of several D.H. aircraft. In July, 1943, Vatun reported an expansion of the company's activities and the purchase of eighteen aircraft, of .which five were Ju 52s, the rest being American types. With this fleet new routes had to be tackled by the company : Ankara- Siwas-Erzerum ; Ankara-Baghdad ; Ankara-Adena-Lydda (Palestine) with connection to Egypt and beyond, and Ankara-Istanbul, the latter twice weekly. A Newcomer Incidentally, the first entirely Turkish-built passenger aircraft will shortly be put on the Ankara-Istanbul service. The establishment of these routes marks a departure from the pre-war Turkish policy which was marked by air isola tion. Foreign air transport companies endeavouring to secure the right of transit were repeatedly refused per mission, and had to seek other routes. While probably this attitude was due to the fact that at the time Turkish aviation was still very retarded and could not benefit from the usual reciprocity agreements, the wartime expansion of the Turkish services is in future bound to bring Turkey to a-closer relationship with the European and the Middle East air transport system. In Spain the air services operating on the Iberian peninsula have never had a really national character. The Spanish Compania Mercantil Anonima de Lineas Aereas, formed after the Civil War, operated with aircraft obtained from Germany and was reported to be 49 per cent, in Lufthansa hands. In 1941 the following places were linked by air services: Valencia and Palma, the capital of Majorca ; Iviza, capital of the island Iviza in the Pityuse group, not far from the Baleares, with Palma and Valencia; Bata, capital of PROPORTION OF SUBSIDIES TO TOTAL REVENUE (in %) » Country Denmark .. Sweden Switzerland Italy (Ala).. Lufthansa . . 1933 47.2 3°-7 — 88.8 (1935) 58.1 1937 °rv8 13-8 55-6 40.6 193S 21.4 16* 11.3** 56.3*** 37-° 1939 13 12.0** — 34-3 (a) 1940 — 12* 28.0** 59-8 50 (a) 1941 *%* ' 0 — In addition mail subsidies = 20.1%. * -•= Direct subsidy, another 8.5% mail revenue. ** = ,, „ „ 18.8% • *** = „ ,. „ 20.3% ,, (a) = Approx. Germany does not publish mail payments which are therefore not included here. WAR EFFECT : The trend towards economic self-sufficiency of air transport has been reversed by wartime difficulties. Spanish Guinea and Santa Isobel, capital of the island group of Fernando Po off West African coast in the Bay of Biafra. During the present war the state took steps to bring the company effectively under its control; in 1940 it pur chased 51 per cent, of the company's stock, thus acquiring a controlling interest, the balance of 49 per cent, remainj- ing in private hands. A recent report states that the rest of the shares of the Iberia Air Company have also been acquired by the Spanish government. The activities ot the Iberia show the same regressive tendency which is apparent in other European countries. A report published by the Spanish Statistical Head Office shows a general reduction of traffic results during the first quarter of 1943 as compared with the average of 1942. Scandinavian Effort Despite its neutral isolation Sweden has been able to retain throughout the war some measure of air transport and is now entertaining plans for its post-war expansion. Wartime conditions did not leave Sweden's air transport unaffected, and a particularly hard blow was the German attack on Russia which caused the discontinuation of the Stockholm-Moscow service; incidentally this service had been operated by the A.B. Aerotransport in pool with the Russian " Aeroflot" for over seven years. • « The process of temporary interruption of services went on from' 1939, and by i94t all internal routes were dor mant. Out of the entire network of the A.B.A. the only two remaining were the services operated to Finland and to Great Britain. The difficulry*in procuring fuel and lubri cants was, as in Switzerland, a limiting factor in the main tenance of normal operations; it was particularly acute during the first three years of the war. Another wartime feature common to other Continental air transport enter prises is the staggering allowance made annually for the depreciation of aircraft. Out of all proportion to the prac tice followed normally in peacetime, this may be justified either by a policy to provide for the replacement of the air fleet after the war 01 by an attempt to accumulate substantial reserves. By 1942 the crisis in Swedish aviation was more or less over and the wave of optimism which swept the world did not leave Sweden untouched; the Swedish Government embarked upon a programme of promotion of flying. For the fiscal year 1944-45 the Swedish government appropriated the sum of 4,700,000 skr. (of which 525,000 is for the A.B.A.) for civil aviation, as compared with 1,200,000 skr, allocated under this heading in 1943, half of which was for general promotion, training, etc. This policy is further exemplified by an extensive airport con struction programme planned for the current year, under which are airports at Torslanda, near Goteborg, Norrkop- ing, Eslov, Bulltofta-Malmo and Karlstad will be con siderably expanded. The report of the Ministry of Transport point out that the Karlstad airport is to be completed in the course of 1944-45 and will be one of Sweden's largest airports. It^i *
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