AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 53
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
HEAVY WHITSUN TRAFFIC ON BRITISH LINES.
Practically all British air lines report heavy traffic during Whitsun. Imperial Airways, Ltd., carried 766 passengers between London and Paris and 278 between London and Le Touquet from Thursday to Monday. British Air Navigation Co., Ltd., carried 120 passengers and nearly three tons of baggage from Heston to Le Touquet and expected to bring about the same amount back. Messrs. Wrightson and Pearse conveyed about 50 passengers outward and 50 homeward, on the same route.
Hillman's Airways, Ltd:, duplicated every service between Romford and Paris on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and had every machine filled. A big proportion of the passengers was without passports, showing good response to the new no-passport concession for day and week-end ticketholders. The Sunday trip, run for the first time, was well patronized. The main lines of Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd., connecting with the Hillman services at Romford for Belfast and Glasgow, ran to schedule with fairly good loads.
Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., had a record day on Monday, when it carried 370 passengers, most of these being on the Ryde-Portsmouth ferry. In the weekend they recorded 649 passengers. There were some through passengers on the Cardiff-Bristol-Bournemouth service of Norman Edgar Western Airways, Ltd.
Provincial Airways, Ltd., carried 42 passengers between Saturday and Tuesday on the Croydon-Plymouth line, many of these being naval officers from Weymouth. Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., was fairly busy with its Croydon-Cowes service, and had to run an extra machine daily on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, also two extra machines on Monday. This company's traffic was the heavier this week-end because the P.S.I.o.W.A., Ltd., did not operate this Whitsun between Heston, Ryde and Shanklin, as all its aircraft were engaged on the other services.
Jersey Airways, Ltd., has not, up to the time of going to press, compiled all its figures, but we understand that Heston-to-Jersey passengers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday numbered respectively 11, 24, 24, and 15. We also know that at Jersey, 109 passengers (in and out) were handled on Saturday, and about 30 (in and out) on Sunday. Railway Air Services, Ltd., reports "quite satisfactory" Plymouth-Liverpool traffic.
Romford-Paris Traffic for. the Week.
In the week to May 18, Hillmans Airways, Ltd., carried 106 singlejourney passengers between Romford and Paris. Charter flights were made to Ripon, Nloy (Co. Clare, Ireland), and Burnham-on-Crouch; charter flights were also made to Paris at 4 a.m. on May 16, 17, 18 and 21. During the week 40 persons were given pleasure flights.
Spartan Line Promises Well.
The experience of the first few days of operation of the Croydon-Cowes air service of Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., suggests that the company is going to have a better season than it experienced last year. The line is doing reasonably well and up to now there has been no blank day so far as traffic is concerned.
M.S,A.F. Halt at Blackpool?
A conference has been held at Blackpool between municipal officials and representatives of Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd., and Hillmans Airways, Ltd. The result may be that Blackpool (Stanley Park) may be made a halt on the M.S.A.F, main air line to Glasgow.
Scottish Air-ambulance Grants.
The Department of Health of Scotlaird has agreed to allow grants from the Highlands and Islands (Medical Service) Fund for the use of aeroplanes in urgent cases of ambulance service. Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd.. has, during the past year, carried a number of patients and saved quite a few lives, and for some time negotiations have been proceeding, as announced in The Commercial Motor, for the subsidizing of this service. The Company has always answered a request for an air ambulance without questioning where the money was coming from to pay for it, Heston-Jersey Figures: May 1-21,
From May 1 to May 21 Jersey Airways, Ltd., carried 197 passengers from Heston to Jersey and 195 from Jersey to Heston. Portsmouth-jersey and Southampton-jersey figures are not yet available, Preparations for Southampton-Hull Service. .
In response to an application Hull Corporation aerodrome committee has agreed to revise the scale of housing and landing fees for the machines which Southern and Central Air Lines, Ltd., proposes to operate on a Southampton-Nottingham.-Hull air service. The concession will be agreed to, at the discretion of the chairman of the aerodrome committee, for the first year of operation. The committee also is to arrange for passenger transport between the aerodrome and the city centre.
The new service is intended to link the K.L.M. Amsterdam-Hull-Liverpool service with other existing and proposed services. AMSTERDAM-HULL-LIVERPOOL SERVICE INAUGURATION.
Impressive preparations are being made for celebrating the start on June 1 of the Amsterdam-Hull-Liverpool air service of the K.L.M. Company (Royal Dutch Air Lines). A considerable number of municipal dignitaries is to fly to Amsterdam in order to fly back and be received with civic pomp at Hull's municipal airport. A reasonably large sum also is to be spent on a municipal banquet in Hull on May 31.
Hull business men hope that an equal readiness to celebrate will be felt after the season's operations have terminated and that the K.L.M. concern will have found Hull to be a satisfactory port from the traffic point of view. The B.B.C. is considering broadcasting a commentary on the arrival of the first machine.
London-Portsmouth: The Week's
In the week to May 20, Provincial Airways, Ltd., recorded the aircraft mileage of 4,860 and carried 31 passengers on its London-Portsmouth air line, including sections thereof. Henceforth a 50-per-cent. fare reduction is being allowed to all members of H.M.
Forces. A large proportion of the company's traffic consists of naval officers.
Jersey Airways' New Plan: Extension to Paris.
Having operated successfully since December 18 regular daily air services between England (London, Portsmouth and Southampton) • and the Channel Islands, jersey Airways, Ltd., informs us that it proposes to run a twiceweekly service connecting Jersey with Paris. The service is expected to start on June 4 and to operate on Mondays and Thursdays. The fares will be approximately £3 10s. single and £6 return. Permission for this new service has been obtained from the French Air Ministry—which is creditable for a British company.
Another piece of Jersey Airways news is that permission has been secured for the erection on Jersey racecourse of a canvas hangar to house a machine for charter work and for the Paris service. The racecourse will not be licensed for use by public-service aircraft, and St. Auhins Bay will continue to be used for arrivals, departures and customs clearances.
Spithead Ferry Service.
In the week to May 17 Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., carried 305 single-journey passengers on its Portsmouth-RydeShanklin ferry service. The company's new Dragon has been delivered and is to work the Heston-Isle of Wight section.