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Aviation History
1965
1965 - 2567.PDF
C © N V A GENERAL* DYNAMICS FUGHT International, 27 May /94J 819 M recorded in last week's issue (page 766) the first Dart-powered Convair 600 prototype (a 24OD) was rolled out, a week ahead of schedule, on May 12. It made its first flight on May 20 and was airborne for 90min BUA'S DOMESTIC CHALLENGE THE decision by British United to apply to the Air Transport Licensing Board for permission to take over British Eagle's dis- carded domestic trunk-routes will pose a difficult problem for the Minister of Aviation. The routes concerned are from London to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast, but Birmingham and Manchester are also being sought. BEA will doubtless object; but the BUA proposal does strike a fresh note and goes well with the Minister of Aviation's desire to develop the under-used Gatwick. Competition for BEA, claim BUA, will be minimal since Gatwick and not Heathrow will be the London terminal. Nevertheless BUA would be introducing jets— One-Elevens—on to the UK domestic scene. British Eagle stopped flying the routes last February after 15 months, during which time frequency restrictions proved economi- cally crippling, losing the airline more than £300,000. The BUA proposal looks practical from every point of view and, indeed, was considered the moment British Eagle withdrew. Such a domestic network based on Gatwick would be an enormous stimulus to international services from the airport, and would do much to relieve congestion at Heathrow. BUA are not yet asking for any more than the 10 to 12 return frequencies a week granted to British Eagle. The Minister has no power, until an appeal, to refuse this application. His policy on domestic competition, enunciated on February 17, is that he will not allow unrestricted competition. TWA'S £13m 1964 PROFIT FOUR years have now passed since TWA came under new manage- ment and in 1964 the airline's fortunes continued to follow the profitable trend established two years earlier. The 1964 net profit after taxation was over $37m (£13m) by comparison with a 119m profit in 1963 and $6m loss in 1962. Still better operating efficiency was a key factor in the 1964 result since many cut fares and rates caused a reduction in the combined average revenue rate. TWA's break-even load factor was reduced from 45.9 per cent in 1962 to 42.0 per cent in 1963 and to the very low figure of 39.9 per cent in 1964. The achieved load factor last year was only 45.3 per cent— yet a £13m net profit was made. Total revenues for the year climbed to $575 (£205m), an increase of 20.7 per cent over 1963. American domestic services continued to be the biggest part of TWA's activity, with a 23.1 per cent increase in passenger-miles and 33.6 per cent in cargo ton-miles; total domestic revenue in- creased by more than 22 per cent to $419m (£150m). On the international services (transatlantic to western and southern European destinations and to the Middle East and Bombay) 31.5 Per cent more passenger-miles were performed. However, inter- national traffic revenue was less than 17 per cent higher—reflecting the lower transatlantic fares introduced during 1964. International cargo traffic was up 10.7 per cent on 1963. The airline still waits tor a verdict on plans for a new service from Cairo through the new countries of East Africa to South Africa—over a route not Previously served by a US carrier. The next year or so should see the last of TWA's once huge fleet of Constellations taken out of service. Some 42 jets (707-320Bs, 727s and DC-9s) are to be introduced during the next two years. In its report TWA recommends the building of two American SST prototypes for flight evaluation; six BAC/Sud Concordes are on order. Looking ahead, the report says that unavoidable cost increases are most likely to reduce the profit growth rate of the last two years. Difficulty is anticipated if the proposed two-cent Federal fuel tax is levied. The report also criticizes harshly the CAB decision to give all-cargo carriers exclusive right to offer block-rates to shippers and the proposal to permit only the supplemental carriers to charter aircraft for inclusive-tour services. PAN AMERICAN CONSOLIDATES FOR the first time since they introduced jets in 1958 Pan American have recorded a fall in profit for a year of operations. The total revenue for 1964 was over $604m (£216m) but the f 65.9m (£23.5m) profit was 16.6 per cent below the 1963 figure. Although overall capacity was increased by 13 per cent, and the revenue ton-mile load factor went up nearly one point to 55 per cent and the cost per available ton-mile fell 0.2 cents to 22.8 cents, the improved efficiency was cancelled out by the fare reductions of a year ago. Nevertheless, Pan American is still handsomely in the black. The lower fares introduced by transatlantic IATA carriers at the beginning of the 1964 summer season cut Pan American's average passenger-mile yield from 5.9 cents in the previous year to 5.5 cents—said to be the lowest yield ever recorded by a major world operator. Five years ago the yield stood at 6.6 cents. Pan American performed 9,027m passenger-miles in 1964—10.2 per cent more than 1963—and the passenger load factor increased from 57.2 to 58.1 per cent. Cargo traffic registered the most signifi- cent increase in Pan American's business during 1964; over 272m ton-miles were recorded—a 36 per cent increase for the year and more than the combined growth of the previous three years. Cargo revenue ($69.6m in 1964) now accounts for 11.5 per cent of the air- line's revenue. Of Pan American's many non-air transport activities, Inter- continental Hotels Corp made a profit of $491,000 in 1964 compared with a $345,000 loss in 1963. By the end of the year the corporation had a total of 29 hotels open around the world. First BAC One-Elevens for Aer Lingus and Mohawk Airlines were delivered on May 14 and May 17 respectively. Both are now being used for crew training. : - .•'•'••.. Boeing-Bendix Category 2 Approval The FAA has approved the Boeing-Bendix automatic landing system for approaches in category 2 weather conditions (100ft ceiling and 1,300ft RVR). Initial approval of the equipment to category 3 limits of 200ft and half-mile was granted on March 18 (Flight, April 1, page 480). Agreement on Liverpool - Cork Route British Eagle (Liverpool) and Cambrian Airways have agreed on timings and will have joint timetables and interchangeable tickets on their Liverpool - Cork service (see Flight, May 6, page 691), but there is to be no pooling of traffic revenue or sharing of passenger-handling arrangements. Anglo-French Airbus Agreement Coinciding with the British and French agreement jointly to develop certain military aircraft, the decision was taken to appoint a joint working party of officials to study all aspects of producing a subsonic airbus. BAC/Sud already have, jointly and individually, several projects under study, and so have Hawker Siddeley. Soviet Transports At Paris Soviet Union participation in the Paris Salon will be more extensive than ever before with the latest fixed- and rotary-winged civil designs scheduled to be present. Making a public debut in the West will be the new four-jet long- range 182-seat 11-62 and the twin-jet short-haul 66-seat Tu-134, both of which will be available for export delivery next year. The 62-seat Mi-6 helicopter may also be at Paris. The Cairo Accident A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 720B (AP-AMH) crashed in the early morning of May 20 about 12 miles south-east of Cairo Airport on the inaugural flight of a new service from Karachi to London via Dhahran and Cairo. All but six of the 112 passengers and 13 crew were killed. Many of the passengers were journalists from Pakistan who had joined this return inaugural flight from Karachi. This was the first fatal PIA accident on international operations.
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