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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 1081.PDF
FLIGHT, 15 July 1960 101 ATLANTIC RUNNERS "VTORTH Atlantic traffic figures for the first three months of 19601^1 confirm that BOAC have not been able to maintain the second place that they held in 1959 Flight, June 24, page 879). Thecorporation's efforts on these routes—33 per cent more seats between the UK and the US during the first quarter of 1960 com-pared with the first quarter of 1959—were notable indeed, but were evidently not as great as the increases in output recorded byTWA, who offered 60 per cent more seats. In terms of seats filled, the US airline is again in second place after Pan American, havingovertaken BOAC some time last November. TWA has subse- quently forged strongly ahead. During the first three months of 1960, BOAC's UK-US traffic(both ways) was 25,686 passengers—'an increase of 12.5 per cent over the corresponding 1959 period despite the one-third increasein seats (load factor was 52 per cent). TWA's total was 31,507 passengers—an increase of 71 per cent. Thus TWA recorded atraffic growth-rate more than five times that of BOAC in the period concerned—a measure no doubt of the effect of the BOAC 707delivery delays on the corporation's expansion plans. BOAC are still, in July, evidently being held back by a shortage of capacity:a load factor of 98 per cent was achieved last week on the cor- poration's routes to Canada and the US. (Altogether 7,933 seatswere offered, 36 per cent more than last year.) A previous note in these columns (June 10, page 808) recordeda big expansion of BOAC's transatlantic charter traffic—an average of two group charters per day being handled during this season.The number of BOAC charter passengers carried this year is ex- pected to exceed the 12,000 believed to have been carried in 1959.Figures published by Aviation Week for other transatlantic air- lines' charter traffic are listed as follows (last year's figures inparenthesis): Air France, 35 flights (22); Alitalia, less than 5,775 passengers(5,775);* Air-India, not available; BOAC, 7,500 passengers (12,000); Irish Airlines, 10 flights (nil); KLM, not available; Lufthansa, at least30 flights (15); Fan-American, 18,000-19,000 passengers (18,615); Qantas, nil; Swissair, not available; Sabena, 4,000 passengers (3,296);SAS, 150 flights (76); TWA, less than last year (102,097 passengers);! TCA, nil flights (33); US Overseas Airlines, 25 flights (10); CapitolAirways, 60-75 flights (30 plus). •Reportedly decreased due to the loss of a DC-7C at Shannon, andDC-8 delivery dates which kept a DC-7C out of charter work. t88 per cent of which was from MATS contracts. Charter activity is greatly increased, but according to the US source this is viewed with some misgivings—mainly on the grounds of diversion from scheduled economy services. Footnote: The CAB have relaxed somewhat their restrictions onEagle's transatlantic charters. It will be recalled (Flight, June 3, page 771) that the CAB applied to Eagle the same rule as they apply to thecharter activities of the scheduled North Atlantic carriers, namely that off-route charter mileage shall be limited to 10 per cent of scheduledmileage. This obviously would have limited Eagle's charters to a very few flights, since the scheduled mileage into the USA by Eagle Bahamasand Eagle Bermuda is only a fraction of the scheduled airlines' trans- atlantic flights. The CAB says that Eagle Bermuda, the company thatmade the application, can transfer some charter business to Eagle Bahamas, and that both can calculate their 10 per cent limitation on thebasis of a twelve month projection of the highest calendar quarter of operations last vear. The CAB said: "Nothing has been presented tous which would lead us to conclude that the carrier was not making charter plans wholly at its own risk and that they were made not inreliance upon any Board pronouncements but rather apparently in the face of them." , ., -'.. , Seer hst week at Southend were these interim British United Airways markings on Britannia 307 G-ANCE of Air Charter A good view of Luton's new 08/26 runway, 5,532ft by 150ft, which has a load classification number of 45. A note about the opening of the new runway by the Minister of Aviation appears on this page LUTON'S NEW RUNWAY 'T'HE concrete runway that users of Luton airport•*• have so long needed was opened by Mr Duncan Sandys, Minister of Aviation, last Friday, July 8.Luton Corporation are very proud of what they call their "new gateway to London, the Midlands andsouth eastern England." Considerable development has been in hand overthe last few years. The new runway (depicted in the photograph) and temporary Customs facilities arenow in use, and plans are ready for a new terminal building. The airfield is open from 0830 to sunsetplus 30min on weekdays, and 0900 to sunset plus 30min on Sundays. It is licensed for night flying,though until the installation of high intensity run- way lighting and approach lighting is completed inthe winter, goose-neck flares are available. (Notice for intended night operations should be given onthe preceding day.) Luton airport is only 30 miles from London(50min by road) and 30min by rail from the city station two miles away. Birmingham and the Midlands can be quickly reached bythe Ml motorway. Among the companies based at Luton airport are Hunting Air-craft, Helicopter Services, Napier (Flight Development), English Electric, and Luton Flying Club. Among the airlines operatingscheduled services are BKS and Derby Airways. VISCOUNTS FOR AIR INTER ? TTAVING sold three of its Viscount 708s to Maitland Drewery,AA Air France may now, it is reported, dispose of five more to Air Inter, an operator in which Air France has an interest. It wasformed recently to operate domestic air services with aircraft chartered from Air France and other French carriers. Air Inter's seasonal scheduled services (not necessarily Viscount)due to be operated this summer are as follows: Paris (Orly)- Lourdes, daily; Paris (Le Bourget) - Toulouse, daily; Paris (Orly) -Dinard - Quimper, twice weekly; Paris (Orly) - La Baule, once weekly; Paris (Orly) - Biarritz, twice weekly; Biarritz - Lourdes -Nice, once weekly. The capital of Air Inter was recently raised from NFr 4m to 5.5m (£291,000 to £400,000). THE MINISTER WILL "DO HIS DAMNDEST" C YMPATHY with those who would like to forbid all jet flying^ at night was expressed by Mr Sandys last week but, he said, "I am afraid it is just not practicable. There are not enough hoursin the day to cope with all the traffic that wishes to come to London." This remark, the most flexible yet made by the Ministeron the subject of night jet operations from London Airport, virtually gives aspiring night jet operators the "clear to go."Other extracts from Mr Sandys' speech: • "The airport employs about 30,000 people, and many of them have chosen to live in the neighbourhood so as to be handy to their jobs.... • "About one quarter of the local residents have settled there since 1955. . . . • "The value of house property has gone up in much the same way as other property elsewhere around London • "Air travel is one of the blessings and aircraft noise is oneof the curses of our modern age. I promise we will do our damndest to limit this nuisance in every practicable way. . . ."
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