Air Traffic Threat—Vital Principle Involved
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Bus Operators and B.T.C. Fight Air Board's Ruling
ABATTLE of principle is at present being fought out in London, the outcome of which may prove to be of vital importance to long-distance road operators. The British Transport Commission. Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., and Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., are appealing to the Minister of Aviation against grants made last November by the Air Transport Licensing Board to Cunard Eagle Airways, Ltd., of completely new air services between London and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. Cunard Eagle, for their part, have lodged counter appeals against the limitation of the grant, the B.T.C. and the two 'bus operators appearing
among the respondents. .
The point at issue is the Air Board's attitude to objections lodged by surface operators. In a lengthy decision given by the Board in the Cunard Eagle• application under the heading "Diversion from surface carriers," after conceding that the B.T.C. were entitled to object to the applications, the Board
said:— .
" We are enjoined to exercise our functions in such a way as to further the development of British civil aviation, not in such a way as to protect the interests of surface carriers. .
"The further development of civil aviation on domestic routes is almost certain to divert a material quantity of traffic from the roads and railways, but we see no reason why the prospect of such diversion should divert us in the exercise of our primary function." (The bold type is ours—Eo.).
The Commercial Motor understands that the line being taken by the road and rail appellants is that the. Board, in coming to their decision to make the grant to Cunard Eagle, were refusing to be influenced in any way by the facilities offered by the surface operators, and it is this principle to which they are objecting. Mr. R. C. Oswald, the B.T.C. solicitor, is representing all the surface operators.