AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 44
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IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN AIR MAILS.
r-IN November 9 we foreshadowed 4.s/further developments with regard
to Imperial air services. An important statement likely to affect the quantity of mail carried on the Empire routes was made by Sir Kingsley Wood, the Postmaster-General, on November 14, and came into force on November 17. All the varying postal charges on letters from England sent by air to Empire destinations were abolished.
Instead, a flat rate of 6d per oz. (postcards 3d.) now applies for all countries on the -existing main routes, except Palestine, Transjordania., the Sudan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Persia,
for which the rate is 3d. The new charge of 6d. per oz. applies to all destinations where the rate was 6d. or snore, and 3d. where the rate was less than 6d.
As regards homeward mails, Sir Kingsley Wood expects the Imperial countries will co-operate.
Sir Kingsley Wood also made on November 14 an announcement concerning air mails within Great Britain. He has adopted the broad policy of sending all first-class mail by air, "if it will thereby be materially accelerated in delivery," by any internal air service which will operate regularly and punctually. Operating companies must enter into agreements with the G.P.O. to carry mails at reasonable cost, BIG NEW FLEET FOR JERSEY SERVICE.
VOR nearly two years The Cornrner cial Motor has conducted an airtransport campaign, the object of which has been to protect road-transport men from the results of ignorance of the opportunities of air transport in this country, and of their reaction upon other transport businesses.
We have frequently referred to the air service between London (Heston), Portsmouth, Southampton and Jersey, hich Mr. W. L. Thurgood, of Jersey Airways, Ltd., started on December 18, 1933. Up to October 31, 18,530 persons and their luggage had been flown to or from Jersey, and in August alone the company carried more than 4,500 passengers over the Channel. This month, traffic has been averaging 39 passengers a day.
At present, the company has eight de Havilland dragons (two Gipsy Major 130 h.p. engines). An arrangement has now been made with Whitehall Securities Corporation, Ltd., for additional capital, and on Novemher 10 an order was placed for six de Havilland Express air liners (four Gisy Six 200 h.p. engines). These will be in service next season.
This development will give Jersey Airways, Ltd., a fleet that will compare favourably with many of the fleets B30 of European national companies, and it is significant of the trend of develOpment. Road-transport men should understand, however, that few routes are so favourable to flying as that to the Channel Islands.
A working agreement has been made between Jersey Airways, Ltd., and Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., under which the two companies will co-operatein various ways and avoid unnecessary competition. Both contemplate the early extension of their present activities. Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., has operated for Railway Air Services, Ltd., a London-Isle of Wight air line. It has also been making arrangements to run a Saro Cloud amphibian on a service among the Channel Islands.
MORE COMPREHENSIVE ORKNEY AIR MAIL.
UNDER the new internal air-mail scheme, separately dealt with on this page, the Post Office has contracted with Highland Airways, Ltd., for a continuance—but in more comprehensive form—of the mail service provided this summer. All first-class mail between Inverness and Orkney, also Wick and district, will henceforth be carried by air, in connection with railway services between Inverness and the rest of Britain.
RAILWAY PLANS UNAFFECTED.
()N October 5 we stated that Railway Air Services, Ltd., would endeavour to run its Croydon-LiverpoolBelfast-Glasgow air service throughout the winter. The granting of a mail contract for the same route to Hillman's Airways, Ltd., does not affect this plan. Mails were carried experimentally from August 20, without a period contract, but were not an important source of revenue.
Lately, while awaiting delivery of another Dragon, the company has run D.H.86 machines on the Belfast-Glasgow extension, as well as on the main Belfast-London section. A Westland Wessex has made some flights as a reserve machine.
TWO AERODROMES FOR BLACKPOOL WITH the completion of a £115,000 VI' land deal, Blackpool Corporation now becomes the owner of the Squires Gate Aerodrome, South Shore, Blackpool. where Blackpool and West Coast Air Services, Ltd., is operating winter services after having enjoyed a successful season. Blackpool is one of the first municipalities to have two aerodromes, as it already possesses Stanley Park Aerodrome. It is rather appropriate that the corporation should secure this second landing ground, for it was on the same site that the municipality organized. in October, 1909, the first aviation meeting in this country.
HESTON: AN AIR TRAFFIC BAROMETER., THE following Heston Airport figures for October give good evidence cf air-transport development, and of the increasing tendency to winter business :-1,984 take-offs or landings were made during the ." controlled" hours between 10 a.m. and sunset, quite apart from school aircraft.. • Jersey Airways, Ltd.., ,carried 440 passengers between Heston and Jersey, whilst 129 commercial aircraft, 49 private aircraft and 469 passengers cleared' Customs. Only 90 aircraft cleared Customs in October, 1933; and the increase is significant, although the October figures this year show a ,prOnounced drop on those of September, largely owing to the cessation of the summer services of the British Air Navigation Co., Ltd., to French coastal resorts and partly due to weather conditions.
Aircraft-hangarage figures are, however, higher than those of September, probably because many private owners come home from abroad in the late autumn. In September, on the average, 64 aeroplanes were housed every night in the Airwork hangars. In October the nightly average was 67.
This figure, of course, excludes aircraft in the service hangar, or in hangars belonging to tenants of Air work, Ltd., such as Henlys, Ltd., and Brian Lewis and Co., Ietd. The total number of aircraft housed on the aerodrome nightly would probably be around 90.
HILLMAN OBTAINS ROYAL MAIL CONTRACT.
THE first six-month contract under the new internal air-mail scheme (announced elsewhere on this page) has been granted to Hillman's Airways, Ltd., for a London-Liverpool-BelfastGlasgow service, to be started on December 1. Since August, mails on this route have been carried experimentally by Railway Air Services, Ltd.
That company's passenger service is likely to continue through the winter, so that there will be two concerns serving the route, but it can scarcely be hoped that Hillman's service will carry so much mail that passenger traffic will not be needed.
All first-class mail which the G.P.O. in London has on hand after the closing of the night mail for Liverpool, Belfast., Glasgow and districts, will go by air next morning.
PRESTON-BLACKBURN SCHEME APPROVED.
THE Air Ministry has advised the joint aerodrome committee set up by Preston and Blackburn Town Councils that it approves the site Samlesbury which the two municipalities had selected for the purpose of: a Joint aerodrome. *