Airline Seeks to Carry by Road
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AN application by an airline operator to carry freight by road between Portsmouth and London was adjourned by the South-Eastern Deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. A. C. Shepherd, at Southampton last week.
Channel Airways, trading as East Anglian Flying Services, are applying for a new B licence for three vehicles—a small bus, an estate car and a van— to carry "air freight consignments within 75 miles of Portsmouth including the Greater London area." The application is opposed by the British Transport Commission and independent road hauliers.
For the applicants, Mr. I. F. Granville said that air travel and air freight traffic were considerably on the increase. The goods to be carried Were mainly perishables which arrived by air from the Channel Islands. Witnesses would be called from there to say that they were in keen competition with Continental countries, and unless they could get their goods carried at the same speed as their competitors, they were going to be hard hit.
An important feature was that the British Railways steamer service to Southampton had been greatly reduced in the past year, and members of the public were having to send their goods bY air.
New Traffic
East Anglian Airways, as a result of a recent grant by the Air Licensing Board, were now operating an all-year-round air service between the Channel Isles and Portsmouth. At present Portsmouth airport was not equipped for night flying,. and it was essential, when aircraft were delayed and arrived towards dusk, that the freight—usually flowers, fruit and tomatoes for delivery to Covent Garden— had to be off-loaded immediately. This was entirely new traffic and the objectors could not properly contend that any grant would be in excess of requirements.
Mr. A. F. Fincher, commercial manager Of the airline corn2any, said that one of the difficulties involved was the necessity for the goods to be delivered at Covent Garden after midnight. Cross-examined by Mr. R. C. Oswald, for the B.T.C., he said that for the past few months the
goods had been carried by the railways, and on a small bus and a 12-seater estate car which they also used to carry passengers. These had been " adapted " to carry goods, Questioned further, he said that the seats of the small bus had been removed to carry goods, and a roof-rack had been fitted on which goods were also carried, When Mr. Oswald suggested that the vehicle came within the provisions of the Road Traffic Act and required a licence from the Licensing Authority, Mr. Fincher said the vehicle had a Hackney Carriage licence. Although he had not fully studied the matter, he considered that a goods licence was only necessary if the adaptation was to be of a permanent nature. He said later that if the application were granted, passengers would still be carried on occasions.
When it was pointed out that the conditions asked for were not confined to perishables—the applicants wished to carry "anything," whether urgent or not —Mr. Fincher replied that the view his company took was that all air freight was urgent and they required a vehicle standing by always to meet aircraft.
Three witnesses from the Channel Islands gave evidence of the necessity for getting their goods to London.