FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1789.PDF
598 Inter 10 1963 The first of 25 Boeing 727s for American Airlines, due in service "early in 1964," has been rolled out at Renton, Washington. The occasion was an opportunity for this photographic nostalgia: alongside the 727 is the 1929 Ford Trimotor which, formerly operated by AA's predecessor American Airways, was recently restored by American Airlines for eventual presentation to the Smithsonian Institution's new air museum to be built in Washington Other reactions came from UK local authorities who own their own airports. They are considering a joint protest to the Associa tion of Municipal Corporations against the decision to abolish the 7s 6d service charge. Mr Victor Turton, chairman of Birming ham Airport Committee, said that the decision will cost Birming ham about £22,500 a year, a fifth of the airport's total income, and he understood that Manchester's figure was £80,000. A Ministry of Aviation spokesman said that there was no obligation on municipal airport owners to follow the Ministry's proposal to abolish the 7s 6d passenger service charge. From BOAC came a pointed comment, in the form of a letter to The Times by Mr Gilbert Lee, commercial director:— "For some time now the landing fee payable for a BEA Comet on a scheduled service has been £58 19s and for a BOAC Comet £116 9s. The justification for this has been claimed to be that the BOAC Comet flight originated farther afield—say in Australia- whereas the BEA Comet originated in Europe, despite the fact that both Comets may well Jiave just flown in from Rome. "The comparable new charges will be £82 13s for BEA and £123 10s for BOAC. "We have never been able to understand the logic behind the differential charges and, whilst we sympathize with the greater burden which our sister airline has now to face, we are grateful to the Minister for partly redressing the balance, although overall we shall have greater charges to meet." AIR COMMERCE... mittee. It levels a great deal of good-natured but searching criticism against the nature and methods of airline operation. This concerns such matters as the high costs of the too rapid depreciation of air craft; overstocking of spares; accommodation of passengers at the most expensive hotels during flight delays; glamorous airline sales offices; expensive publicity; the high turnover rate amongst stewardesses after costly recruitment and training; and high over head costs in general. Airlines will no doubt take note." (6) "I find it amazing to read of carriers intending to increase their North Atlantic frequences by 20 to 40 per cent this year. . . . One cannot but begin to wonder whether they look at the figures. If there is a good explanation for it I would like to hear it." (7) Sir William draws an analogy from Dr Beeching's plans for British Railways, and says: "The railways case points to the dangers of over- expansion. Jumping too far ahead of traffic growth can have unfortunate financial results." (8) "Today, it seems that a new flag line is created every 20min or so.... I do not think there is sufficient awareness of the difficulties and costs of operating an international airline today." REACTIONS TO THE AIRPORT CHARGES AS reported on page 597, Sir William Hildred, director-general of IATA, has told delegates to the current Rome a.g.m. that "at least certain governments are now willing to consult with carriers before imposing new or increased [user] charges." His speech was written before the Ministry of Aviation, as reported last week, proposed the new technical service charge, so Sir William may have been as shocked as his members when the proposed new MoA charges were announced. BEA said: "This news came as a bombshell to us—right out of the blue. We had no warning of the Ministry's intention. It seems astonishing to us that the Ministry should make a public announce ment on a subject so closely affecting the airline operators without consulting or even telling them." A KLM spokesman said his company found the sudden increase "strange, because normally a government only introduces such measures after consultations with the airlines concerned." The Ministry gave warning of its intention to introduce a tech nical service charge in the Airports White Paper published over two years ago. The official position is that user charges are the responsibility of governments, acting in the taxpayers' interest, and that governments have no more need to consult the airlines about such charges than the airlines have to consult passengers about fares. So far as KLM are concerned, a spokesman said that the Ministry "informed the Air Representatives' Board (UK) and the Foreign Airlines Association in London." v CUTTING SPARES COSTS LAST Monday morning, October 7, 142 delegates from 43 inter national airlines assembled at the Kensington Palace Hotel in London for the eighth Consolidated Spares and Equipment Pooling Conference, a twice-yearly (May and October) meeting of airline engineers. BEA was host. The conference ends tomorrow and delegates were welcomed at the opening session by Mr Beverley Shenstone, BEA's chief engineer. The object is to discuss forthcoming timetables and to consider how members can stock spare parts and equipment for all major aircraft types at airports throughout the world for the benefit ot all member airlines in the pool. The service enables any carrier whose aircraft may require maintenance en route to borrow t e components necessary to fly it safely back for overhaul at its base. It is estimated that the capital value of spare parts, engines and ground equipment currently being pooled is around £10m, an this bears out the claim made for the pool that it is "the larges^ single joint economic undertaking in the history of comma01 aviation." t The pool operates on a non-profit-making basis, and the vas majority of international airlines operating jet aircraft are signaton ^ Each company can save up to 25 per cent of the expenditure w» would otherwise have to be set aside for spare engines, cota^0^l[0. and supporting equipment. All participants undertake to recip .
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
