WHITSUN AIR TRAFFIC BREAKS ALL RECORDS.
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AA LL records were broken, this Whitsun, by air traffic in Great Britain
and across to the Continent. The Croydon figures (including 120 Continental machines arriving and departing on the Friday, 91 on Saturday and 81 on Monday) have brought the total number of passengers in and out of the airport up to nearly 14,000 for May, compared with about 12,000 in May, 1935 British Airways, Ltd., duplicated all services and put on extra services, so far as its fleet would permit, By Thursday this company had sold out all its Paris and Scandinavian accommodation in advance. Raile,ay Air Services, Ltd., did remarkably well on a number of routes, Isle of Man traffic was unprecedented. Blackpool and West Coast Air Services, Ltd., reported that it was out of all proportion to anything experienced before, or expected so early in the season. Capt. G. Greenhalgh is reported to have flown one of the D.II.86A machines from Blackpool to the island in 20 minutes, on Friday, and back in 24 minutes—which demonstrates how air travel can make the roost of a short week-end.
Jersey Airways, Ltd., duplicated all services, except on Sunday, and carried approximately 550 passengers between the Channel Islands and the mainland.
REGULAR SERVICES TO I.F.S.
THE first of the services which Mr. G. P. 011ey's company, Blackpool and West Coast Air Services, Ltd.. is to nin in conjunction with a state-controlled Irish company, started on May T. For some time to come, the English concern must do all the flying.
Machines leave Dublin daily at 9 a.m. for Bristol and return at 12.15 p.m. (12.45 p.m. on Sundays) for Dublin. The fares are £4 single and £7 return. Machines leave the Isle of Man at 12.45 p.m. every day and return from Dublin at 2.15 p.m. The fares are 30s. single and 50s, return.
These Isle of Man services connect to and from Liverpool (daily) and to and from Carlisle (thrice weekly) by the existing air lines of the Blackpool concern. &heady the traffic is quite good on both routes.
NEW SOUTH COAST LINE.
ANEW c\oncem, Channel Air Ferries, Ltd., has been formed by Mr. G. P. 011ey, of 011ey Air Service, Ltd.,
and other companies. Recently it started a service between Shoreham Airport (for Brighton, Hove and Worthing) and Ryde. Isle of Wight. A De Havilland Dragon and a Short Scion are being used.
The service is run daily at present, and twice daily at week-ends. Its frequency will be increased as traffic demands. The fares are 13s. single and 24s. return.
PORTSMOUTH'S £1,100,000 SCHEME.
May 23, Portsmouth City Council approved the recommendation of the docks and airports committee to go ahead with plans for providing at Langstone Harbour a flying-boat base, which Imperial Airways could use for its main services from January, 1937 The first stage of the work, to cost about £271,000, could be completed by the end of the year. The second stage, bringing the cost up to over £1,100,000, would involve land-locking the harbour by three barrages and reclaiming a part of Farlington Marshes for an'adjoining landplane airport, to replace the existing Portsmouth airport.
MORE IRISH DEVELOPMENTS.
REPORREPORTS from Dublin indicate the TS of an air service being inaugurated by Crilly Airways, Ltd., between Cork and London, to carry Transatlantic passengers and mails. Mr. Crilly is reported to have said that traffic from Transatlantic liners could be transferred to or from London in three hours and that he is prepared to link up Galway, as well as Cork.
There are political difficulties, for the Free State Government is forming a company which will have a monopoly of services over the Irish Sea. The first services in this connection started on May 27, as explained in a separate paragraph. CLEVER DESIGN OF GATWICK AIRPORT.
LAST month British Airways, Ltd., LAST
from temporary quarters at Heston to its new base at Gatwick Airport. The terminal building, the first of its kind in the world, is circular and is connected by a 120-yd. subway to Tinsley Green station (now renamed Gatwick Airport), on the Southern Railway, from which the journey to Victoria takes 35-40 minutes.
Six covered ways with telescopic extensions radiate from the central hall ; three of them (for arriving aeroplanes) lead into the main Customs hall. The other three covered ways are for departing aeroplanes. The northwest and south quadrants of the ground floor, around the main concourse, are occupied by a waiting hall, snack bar and offices for air-line companies. Above them are more offices, kitchens and a large restaurant.
Gatwick Airport will be ceremonially opened to-morrow (Saturday) by Lord Swinton, Secretary of State for Air. , EXTENDING SHETLAND LINE.
SO soon as the new radio station at Sumburgh Head, Shetland, has been tested, Highland Airways, Ltd., will extend its Orkney services to the outer group of islands. The idea of keeping the machine at Kirkwall. Orkney, has been abandoned. The machine for the Shetland service will start from Aberdeen each day at 12.15 p.m. and return there by 6.15 p.m.
In January-March, 1936, despite the bad weather, Highland Airways, Ltd,, carried 171 tons of mail on the Inverness-Wick-Kirkwall service and ran with 99-per-cent, regularity, without wireless.
CITY AIRPORT PLAN APPROVED.
THE Common Council of the City of London has decided to provide an airport in the plain of Fairlop, near Ilford. By using only two-thirds of the land available, the annual charge (interest and sinking fund) would be about £18,000.
The site is very large and reasonably near to London ; that it lies in the prevailing path of London's smoke is not a good point.