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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2031.PDF
"Flight International" photographs Air cargo in Qantas has long since passed the "shed" stage. In fact the stylish air cargo terminal at Sydney airport is more like a passenger terminal in layout and decor, the idea being to make air cargo as easy and pleasant as possible both to despatch and collect. HM Customs are apparently most co-operative QANTAS one, the airline is optimistic about the Concord, and particularly so since the setback to the American SST plans. In the opinion of one senior Australian Government official, this puts the Concord at least three years ahead, though this is not necessarily Qantas's belief. Before the American postponement Qantas were reckoning on delivery of the US SST in 1975, two years later than the Concord. This would put them in the SST business from the earliest possible date, later maintaining this lead with the faster and larger American aircraft. But they foresee a requirement for both types operating in partnership. Their initial worries over lack of baggage and mail accommodation in the Concord have presumably been evaporated by the recent design changes which have increased dead-load accommodation. There were no worries among the engineers we talked to about the small size of the Concord's cabin. Two-by-two, they feel, is more acceptable than three-by-three. Last year was a boom year for Qantas traffic, with revenues up by 20 per cent. In the current year capacity in the tripartite pool with BOAC and Air-India is being increased by no less than 30 per cent, and bookings on the Kangaroo route this season are up by 40 per cent. Mr C. O. Turner believes that this is a reflection of several factors: the prosperity of Australia—one of the few politically stable areas in the southern hemisphere; (2) an enormous upsurge in investment and trade, particularly motor cars, oil, sugar and wool; and (3) the fact that a lot of people want to go to Aus- tralia. Migrants from Britain are moving at the rate of 560 each week—equivalent to five full BOAC cr Qantas Boeing flights a week. This is big business at £160 a fare (of which the migrants pay £10). The routes to Asia, particularly to Japan, are growing fast and soon the Electras on the Cocos Island Qantas/SAA pool service to South Africa will be replaced with Boeings flying Perth - Mauritius direct, since Cocos cannot be developed as a jet airport— a factor, incidentally, which may result in a 707-320C order by SAA. Next November, if plans work out, there should be a new trans- pacific/transatlantic route via Mexico. The pool with BOAC, deep-rooted in the partnership with Imperial Airways that goes back to 1934, has continued through fat and lean times ever since. There have been periods when Qantas has gained more from this pooling partnership than have BOAC; and there have been times, like today, when BOAC has been the beneficiary. Such difficulties as there have been have usually arisen from BOAC's bad luck with Comets and Britannias, but differences have always been of the family kind. Taking one decade with another each knows that the partnership is cemented by something more than £ s d. Mr C. O. Turner, Qantas chief execu- tive, says: "It is not properly understood by many people in the UK, and particularly I think in the aircraft industry, that Qantas is making a very great contribution to the Qantas/Air-India/BOAC tripartite pool services. We are carrying more traffic and earning a very large amount of revenue for the pool in excess of what we get out of it." y This is not a criticism of BOAC, for which CO and everyone whom we met in Qantas have the highest professional regard. What might be termed British aircraft industry politics affect BOAC's partners too. Awareness of Qantas's feelings in this respect is important to a proper understanding of the airline. No more needs to be added to the article "Australia's Answers" in Flight Inter- national for April 23, except perhaps to quote the Qantas official who asked: "Why should BOAC take it?" One must also record Qantas's belief that some of BOAC's problems have arisen from what one official described to us as "the dictatorship of BALPA and NJC rules which don't allow BOAC to sack anybody." Why, we asked, don't Qantas just quit the pool ? "In the long swing of Commonwealth relations," said C. O. Turner, "there are ups and downs. In the long term pooling is the way the world is going to be operated by long-range aeroplanes, and it is imperative that we should be with the British and that they should be with us. By tradition we work together—it's a matter of judging who are your friends and where the traffic is flowing." Later this year two more Boeing 707-1 J8Bs will be added to the existing fleet of eleven, and next ytar three 707-338C mixed-traffic Boeings will be delivered
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