FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0065.PDF
JANUARY I5TH, T948 FLIGHT 6.O.A.C REPORT Activities of the Corporation and Review of Operating Conditions* with a Statement of Accounts for the Year 1946/194J (J THE long-awaited annual report and statement ofaccounts of the British Overseas Airways Corpora-tion for the year which ended on March 31st, 1947, was published last week with a clear and frank exposition of the conditions which had contributed to a large deficit. During the past few months forecasts of heavy losses have been made, since it was common knowledge that the Corpora- ftion had been operating under extreme difficulties. Manyof the forecasts have proved to be correct, and the state-raent shows a deficit of £8,076,844. The report gives an account of tht main activities of the Corporation during V the year, includ- — ing the adjust- ments which were made for the transition from war conditions to peacetime opera- tion, the replace- . " ment at overseas stations of the services previously provided by the R.A.F., the opening of new routes, and a summary of the close association with Commonwealth partners. In dealing with the activities of B.O.A.C., the report states that it was considered to be the Corporation's first duty during the year, as in the war years, to expand and develop essential air services along the main trunk routes of the Common- wealth and across the North Atlantic together with many local services—notably in the Middle East. Some services were operated not because they were com- Donwglas Dakota. SUMMARY 1945/46 _, £ I 6.173,955 £6,200,347 49,118 3,755,867 2,355,083 151,286 676,280 1,855,642 113,161 1,507,580 261,723 839,808 £11.565,548 £5,365,201 OF OPERATING ACCOUNT SHOWING SCHEDULEDAND OTHER SERVICES REVENUE Traffic revenue Incidental revenue ... EXPENDITURE Aircraft standing charges. Aircraft maintenance and overhaul.Flying operations Charter of aircraft and crews. Passenger serviceStation costs ... Sales and publicity ...Divisional administra- tion.Technical training ; Central supplies or- ganization.- Head Office admtnis- j tration and general ', services. SURPLUS DEFICIENCY NET DEFICIENCY carried to Surplus and Defi- ciency Account. Scheduled Services £ 11,316,559 87,779 £11,404,338 2,154,160 4,993,588 3,183.139 319,424 658,591 2,730,781 407,3561,617,766 1,035,009 263,6 IS 1,311,960 £18,675,389 £7,271,051 Direct operating costs have been allocated to other Other than Scheduled Services £ 143,175 — £143,175 25,339 56,194 34,826 2,375 3,775 5,460 — 1,295 — — 1,050 £130,314 £12,861 — Total £ 11,459,734 87,779 £11,547,513 2,179,499 5,049,782 3,217,965 321,799 662,366 2,736,241 407,3561,619,061 1,035,009 263,615 1.313,010 £18,805,703 — — £7,258,190 than scheduled services on the basis of the appropriate aircraft type costs. The allocation of the remaining items of expenditure has been based on assessments of the proportion heading deemed to be appropriately chargeable to such -ervices. £ under each onsolidated Liberator. J mercially attrac- tive, but because they were re- quired for reasons o f Government policy, and in- structions were received by the Corporation early in the year to expand services in order to help demobilization in R.A.F Transport Command The extent of expansion is shown by the mileage increase from 33,465 in 1940 to 49,585 in 1945/46 and 53,998 in 1946/47 At a number of points along the routes R.A.F. staging posts and facilities had to be taken over, since the converted military types of air- craft used and the lack of night-flying facilities at many places made it necessary to retain a large number of landing stages. On March 31st, 1947, B.O.A.C. staff were employed at 472 overseas bases and stations to organize passenger operations, maintenance and medical services and addi tional signals facilities. During the year increasing assist ance was given to the development of Commonwealth air lines in the form of advice, guidance, and in some cases seconding of trained staff to local companies. Such com panies, the report states, are building up axTfetwork of local services which will feed the trunk rom§s; and will serve as agents in their areas to the advatrtqge'of all. The C orp o r a t i o n's scope, therefore, could not be mea- sured solely in the terms of the extension of routes, the open- ing of new ser- vices, or ton- mil es flown - Apart from services rendered to companies overseas and British charter companies in the handling of passengers and aircraft in stations along the routes, the Corporation maintained a high standard of safety. During the early part of 1947 the wartime organization of five Regions was gradually superseded by a new organiza- tion consisting of three Divisions : the Atlantic, the African and Middle Eastern, and the Eastern Division. The change was made to simplify control of operations and administra- tion, by delegating responsibility for the execution of ser- vices over the entire length of routes in each of the three geographical areas, to a single home-based organization, with the exception of the Atlantic Division. The latter Division established headquarters at Dorval since no suit- able base was available in the U.K. The importance of a well-equipped base for efficient and economical operation was emphasized, and it was pointed outj that, in spite of the Constellations being grounded for rjs^Bifications at one period, the five aircraft reached a service utilization of more Lancastrian Boeiiling (3I4A) Clipper.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
