Airport service boom
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A BOOM in numbers otoverseas visitors to the United Kingdom was predicted by a Traffic Commissioner last week. He was commenting on Tricentrol Coaches' application to have restrictions removed on its express service licence between London Euston and Luton Airport.
The existing licence was restricted to the carriage of personnel and passengers on behalf of Monarch Airlines Ltd and Cosmos Tours Ltd. Tricentrol were seeking authority to carry on behalf of any airline or tour operator and were opposed by Seamarks Bros Ltd.
Mr J. H. A. Baggott, managing director of the Tricentrol Travel Group said following the demise of Court Line an increasing number of foreign airlines had been encouraged to make use of Luton Airport. The company's restricted licence was causing problems.
Initially, that company had made use of Monarch Airlines but had recently been making 'use of the Spanish airline, Aviaco. Although Tricentrol had continued to provide the service, strictly speaking they had no authority for doing so.
Traffic offered by other air tour operators had been turned down because of the licensing position. This was now being carried by a London coach operator, who, as far as he knew, did not hold a road service licence for the work.
The chairman of the Commissioners, Mr A. S. Robertson, said the matter would be investigated.
Mr Aveyard said Seamarks already held an unrestricted licence to the airport from London and Tricentrol's application would allow them to compete in the open market. It would mean that both operators would be fighting for a diminishing market.
Only granting the application in so far as to extend the existing conditions to authorise operation on behalf of Enterprise, Aviaco, Exchange Travel and Malta Airlines, Mr Robertson said there had been a paucity of evidence generally. No supporting evidence had been given by any airline or tour operator. However, we lived in times of change with greater numbers of overseas visitors coming into this country, and the Commissioners felt justified in extending the licence to the named firms.