FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0222.PDF
222 FLIGHT, 17 February 196 AIR COMMERCE SILVER CITY: THE DEFINITIVE MOVE? A4"ANY observers believe that changes in Silver City's structure-*•*-•- are inevitable if, despite future annual rises in passenger and vehicle traffic, the airline is to operate the short Channelcrossings on a profitable footing. When turn-around time is an inevitably high proportion of time-in-the-air, rising engineeringcosts cannot easily be offset by increasing utilization. This is among the reasons for Silver City's applications to operatedeeper-penetration routes to Paris, Auxerre and Cologne (about which they have seemed a little half-hearted) and for servicesfrom provincial centres in Great Britain to the French coast—in which they appear to believe more strongly. But long-range routes alone will not solve the problem to whichtheir main competitors, Channel Air Bridge, have already found a solution—new aircraft to absorb the volume of traffic built upwith Bristol Freighters and opening up long-range routes with more modern and more economical aircraft. Since their deal fellthrough with the British Transport Commission last March, Silver City have been manoeuvring behind the scenes to obtain re-equip-ment capital from other sources. Often their eyes have turned towards France, with the result that it has been variouslysuggested that Mr Eoin Mekie would equip his Air Ferry with Hurel-Dubois HD 32s, Handley Page HPR.8s (to be built partlyin Great Britain and partly by a consortium of French companies) or with Breguet Deux Ponts. There were strong possibilities earlier this week that SilverCity would link up with handling and sales agents Compagnie Air Transport, shares in which are owned by French National Rail-ways, French airlines and French shipping. CAT handle Silver City in Paris. They are not transport operators, but under theproposed agreement, it was reported in the Sunday Telegraph, Silver City would sell three Bristol 170s to CAT, and operatethem on behalf of the French company on the routes to Calais and Le Touquet from Lydd. Costs and revenues would be pooled. Nothing had been signed as this issue went to press, althoughthe board of British Aviation Services were meeting to discuss the French proposals. It seems unlikely that more than a minorityinterest in Silver City (who are controlled by P and O) would be President de Gaulle is to inaugurate the new airport buildings cf Paris Orly at the end of this month. Here is a general picture c; the main terminal building nearing completion taken by CAT. On the other hand. Silver City are likely to insisithat any agreement paves the way for the purchase of new aircraft If it does, the situation will contrast strangely with that tenmonths ago, when Silver City announced the HPR.8. On this occasion (Flight, April 29, 1960, page 607) Mr Mekie was askedabout the new aircraft:— How would it be financed now that British Railways were not toinvest in the airline? "I know where the money is coming from," said Mr Mekie, "but I am not prepared to say. It will not beFrench money." Were French Railways involved in any way:' "No." Over last weekend, Silver City announced a new air ferryservice between Guernsey and Manpertus Airport, Cherbourg, at a weekly frequency until September 9, and increased frequencythereafter. Passenger fares are £3 single and vehicle fares on the usual graduated scale. At the same time, the cargo service fromHum to Guernsey is being increased from one to five services weekly and rates have been reduced down to 5d per kilo. TEAL LOOKS TO BOAC BOAC may be the instrument with which Tasman EmpireAirways achieves New Zealand's long-haul aspirations. New Zealand contends that its flag carrier should operate under its owncontrol on international routes, but this has been impossible while the airline remains under the present Australian-NewZealand joint ownership. New Zealand has now decided to buy out Australia's 10 per centinterest in Teal; the price Australia will ask is aroujnd £Alm. New Zealand will also have to agree to Qantas running" a Tasmanservice, probably a parallel service, on all routes now operated by TEAL between New Zealand and Australia. At present there areservices between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. On the assumption that New Zealand could find the money tobuy its neighbour out, during 1960 traffic rights for TEAL were discussed both with France and the USA. In exchange for agree-ment for TAI and PanAm to operate over TEAL's previously exclusive Tasman Sea route between Auckland and Sydney, NewZealand would gain rights to extend its Coral service route via Tahiti and Hawaii to California and possibly beyond. But unlesscapital or assistance could be found for re-equipment, TEAL would be in the position of operating its Electras against PanAmand TAI jets. It is reported that TEAL may take two of Qantas' Electras as part of the change-of-ownership deal; one is alreadyon charter for the Tahiti service. BOAC's proposal, as suggested by Sir Matthew Slattery, isa partnership between the corporation and TEAL including the offer—on a lease basis—of long-range jets. BOAC would extendits London - Los Angeles jet service (due to be inaugurated on March 2) to New Zealand, with TEAL operating the Pacificsector. Australia would be "fully consulted" and aircraft would be supplied to New Zealand under a pool set up by BOAC. Thecorporation would not renew the 20 per cent shareholding with- drawn in 1954 because, said Sir Matthew, it is not necessary;the partnership he was proposing would be one of sharing of costly equipment. In a guarded comment on these proposals, Mr J. K. McAlpine,New Zealand's Minister of Civil Aviation, said before meeting his Australian counterpart Senator Partridge this month that fourpossibilities were open to New Zealand in respect of TEAL: selling its share, which he did not favour; buying Australia out ifAustralia consented, which might involve heavy losses (though it is reported that Australia might accept a long-term repayment);continuing the present partnership; or persuading some other airline to act with TEAL under New Zealand ownership. ¥ It is not generally known that among the export cus- tomers for the llyushin 11-18 is Air Guinee, which becomes the second African carrier to fly its flag on this airliner —the other being Ghana Air- ways. The quantity of ((-18$ operating in Air Guinee colours is not known; prob- ably, like those of Ghana Airways, they are operated by Soviet crews
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
