FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1427.PDF
30 October 1953 581 The reality of a Com monwealth global route, operated by all- British aircraft, will be brought nearer by the introduction, next year, of the Comet 2. It is expected that fast London-Sydney jet ser vices will be operated jointly by B.O.A.C. and Qantas; Comet 2s have also been or dered for the trans- Pacific routes now flown by British Com monwealth Pacific Airways and Cana dian Pacific Airlines. Both the type of aircraft employed and the route followed by B.C.P.A. with their trans-Pacific services are shown by this photograph. The airline is owned by Australia, New Zealand and Britain, whose respective holdings are 50, 30, and 20 per cent. place, I doubt whether it is a good thing from the standpoint of British interest, to pull out of these parts of the Pacific. Time and again, in different parts of Australia, it has been put to me that while we seem to be complaining of exclusion from the ANZUS arrangements we are at the same time voluntarily pulling out of important air-transport services. Moreover, at a time when British ships in the Pacific become fewer, and farther between, it is most unfortunate that we should do anything to reduce aviation connections. There is also the matter of air bases. Nandi, for example, on the Fiji Islands, is a British responsibility. Under the agreement with the South Pacific Air Transport Council a very substantial contribution is now made by New Zealand. At the moment this must mean an annual liability of nearly £200,000. If Nandi gets a new runway the financial liability will be more. It is not certain that what is saved by pulling out of air services might not be offset by reduced New Zealand contributions elsewhere. On the other hand, there is the B.O.A.C. position. Sir Miles Thomas and his colleagues have done, and are doing, an excellent ;pb; pot only for aviation but for British interests generally. It must not be forgotten that serving British interests sometimes costs money, and the Corporation is apt to be judged, and righdy so to a large extent, by the financial result at the end of the year. It may well be proper, in certain cases, for a separate and special con tribution to be made by the Treasury which would enable the Corporation to serve national interests without distorting its commercial accounts. Then there is the wider problem of the British Commonwealth service round the globe. The basis on which agreement will probably be reached, if not already reached, will no doubt be for the U.K.-Australia parallel partnership along the Kangaroo route to continue; for Qantas to take over from B.C.P.A. the operation from Sydney to San Francisco; and then for B.O.A.C. to exercise its rights from San Francisco across to New York and home over the North Atlantic. But all is not perfectly plain sailing. For a start, some stresses are likely to be applied to the Kangaroo partnership. Qantas have bought Super Constellations, and once different machines are operated some of the advantages of the partnership disappear. That position will probably right itself, however, given the goodwill which there undoubtedly is, when Qantas eventually join B.O.A.C. in the operation of Comet 2s and Britannias. They have indicated their intention to buy the latter, and will probably take over the Comets ordered by B.P.C.A. In this event the old advantages of shared stocks of spares along the route and a common servicing and maintenance base at the Sydney end will be regained. The Super Constellations will presumably be switched to other Qantas routes. On the Pacific side the principal difficulty would seem to be that the British operators will not have any pick-up rights between Honolulu and New York. Whether the available through-traffic from Sydney to New York is sufficient to warrant a proper frequency is probably doubtful. Against these doubts are some definite advantages. The British partners would be the only operators who could offer the oppor tunity of a return journey via either side of the globe on their own service. In any case, tendency has been for many travellers to and from Australia to choose the Pacific route. The attraction of the American way of life appeals to some—and of course there are often essential business-calls to be made on that route. There are also some people who say that through the Middle Eastern and Soudi East Asia countries there is too much form- Ailing,* anti-germ spraying and general pushing about at the staging-posts. Having just experienced this route, I can see what such critics are talking about, but I think they are exaggerating. However, there seems no doubt that the trend is for a proportion of the travellers to opt for the Pacific route, and while there is some caginess over precise figures it is likely that, already, between 50 and 60 per cent of total movements from the United Kingdom to Australia are via the U.S.A. If that figure is likely to increase it is clearly essential for B.O.A.C. and Qantas to be able to take fullest advantage of the development. The absolutely ideal answer to the needs of the situation would be a great partnership in which Canada joined. An all-Common wealth holding company, rationalizing operations all the way round the world, could probably ensure the utmost economy and an unbeatable service. For the moment, however, Canada, through C.P.A., comes into the Pacific as a competitor and not a partner. But the projected U.K.-Australia plans will be an interesting development. No doubt the U.S.A., who are not without territorial demands in the Australasia area, will be stimulated to further efforts. Let us hope that things go well with us, and with the service which we offer—to our own British people and the world.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
