An Estimate of Internal Air-line Traffic
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PRACTICALLY speaking, Whitstm 1 week-end marked the opening of the summer season for air-line traffic in Great Britain, and now is a good time to estimate the numbers of passengers that have been carried in the first five months of this year..
We are in close touch with each of the 10 companies now running unsubsidized services and working to regular schedules, and can say that probably between 8,000 and 10,000 passengers have been carried in these five months. The figure excludes the London-Paris service • operated without subsidy by Hillmans Airways, Ltd. On that line about 1,620 passengers are recorded, and May marks a new high level with 547 passengers.
Of the 8,000-10,000 referred to above, the bulk is accounted for by two con
cerns, one of which is old-established by comparison with the other. Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd-, must have carried nearly 4,000 passengers since January 1. The bulk of these, of coarse, is on the Portsmouth-Ryde-Shanklin service.
During Whitsun week, 961 passengers used this service, and its second year of operation, ending June 26, is sure to yield a figure much bigger than the 6,344 passengers of the first year.
The concern's London-Isle of Wight service started only on May 1. The fares are low and the prospects are high; in May 192 passengers were carried. The company's extensions to Brighton and Bournemouth have not done very well so far, but this summer will see a change.
The other big item in the total is that of Jersey Airways, Ltd. Starting on December 18 the company had by April 20 carried 2,238 passengers across the Channel between England and Jersey. The English termini are London, Portsmouth and Southampton ; an extension is being made to Paris.
We reckon that the five months from January-May show about 3,000 passen
gers. This figure is not -so high as that of P.S.1.O.W.A., Ltd., but the route mileage is much bigger. Between December and April the company averaged 4.5 passengers per trip.
We cannot give figures for the January-May traffic of the CardiffBristol Ferry, but last summer well over 1,000 persons used it. There are now four services daily, two of which are extended to Bournemouth.
The London-Glasgow and London1323 Belfast lines of Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd., do not, as yet, record heavy traffic, and possibly the fares are a little too high, considering the speed of the aircraft used. We estimate that between 200 and 300 passengers have been carried on the two lines since they opened on April 9. Although we cannot give figures for the GlasgowIslay and Glasgow-Belfast lines, we know that traffic is moderate, but steady.
Highlands Airways, Ltd., has, during these five months, probably carried 600 passengers between the mainland and the Orkneys. In 11 months from May 8, 1933, 2,000 passengers and 2 tons of newspapers were recorded. The Royal Mail contract has now been entrusted to the Inverness-Orkney line, and there is a new Aberdeen-Orkney service. Figures, this summer, are bound to be higher than those quoted above.. Traffic on the Liverpool-BlackpoolIsle of Man service of Blackpool and West Coast Air Services, Ltd., has not been heavy since the daily schedule commenced at Easter, except that in one special week 204 persons were carried.
Traffic was at first poor on the London-Plymouth line of Provincial Airways, Ltd., which started on March 19, but is now improving because dockyard officials and naval officers are. learning the value of flying for their short periods of leave. Something like 50 passengers weekly have been carried lately.
Two railway air services between London and Cowes and between Plymouth, Cardiff, Birmingham and Liverpool started early in May and cannot yet be properly appraised. The fares on the London-Cowes service seem high. The other service (ending at Birmingham) was run last year at a loss, but is certain to do better this year, as travellers are steadily becoming more air-minded.