AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 71
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RAILWAY. AIR-SERVICE RESULTS.
THE annual reports of three of the four railway companies include references to their air-transport opera
tions in 1934. The Great Western Railway Co. increased its air-route mileage by 50 per cent. over the 1933• figure and reduced its loss from £6,526 to 25;150; The services were from Liverpool to Birmingham, Cardiff, Plymonth and Birmingham, and, from BriStol to Southampton and CoWes. The company has now taken, a onesixth share in the service between England and Jersey.
The Southern Railway Co.. lost 24,770 on air services, the receipts beirig £272 and the expenditure 25,042. On the Binningham-Bristol-Southarap; ton-Cowes line, run jointly with the G.W.R., the loss was 2900. On the
London-Isle of Wight route the Southern Railway shared results equally with Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., and the loss was 23,200. There were also various expenses in the forming of Railway Air Seryices, Ltd. The company has taken a one-sixth share in the England-Jersey service.
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. operated the LondonLiverpool-Belfast-Glasgow service. Its expenditure was 210,147, and the receipts were £2,904, showing a debit balance of 27,243. The service was run only from August 20 and, in about six months, the regularity has been 91 per cent.
The London and North-Eastern Railway Co. had no air operations to report.
GLASGOW-ZURICH IN A DAY.
FROM April 1, the S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aerienne (known as Swissair) will run jointly with Imperial Airways, Ltd., a week-day service between Zurich, Basle, Lille and London: Machines will leave Zurich at 8.55 a.m, and reach Croydon at 12.50, enabling passengers to connect by Railway Air Services to Glasgow the same afternoon. The morning service from Glasgow will similarly Connect with the Swissair departure at 1.40 pan. from Croydon, which will reach Zurich at 5.25 p.m.
The machines used by Swissair will be Douglas D.C.2s (two Wright Cyclone 700 h,p. geared and supercharged engines), which will carry 14 passengers and cruise at about 175 m.p.h. ImperialAirways will continue to use the Short Scylla type carrying 38 persons and cruising at about 100 m.p.h.
SPARTAN FARES INCREASED.
THE spring time-table of the Croy1 don-Bernbridge-Cowes air service, run 'by Spartan Air Lines, Ltd. (which is associated with Whitehall Securities Corporation, Ltd., and Jersey Airways, Ltd.), started on March 1, with two services daily each way. The summer schedule commences on April 14. From March 1, the fares have been increased from 19s. 6d. single to 26s. 6d. and from 38s, 6d. return to 45s. Early last summer the fares were 30s. single and 50s, return, but because of competition they were reduced.
BIG EAST LONDON AERODROME PROJECT.
I IXORD Borough Council has decided . to request the Commissioner for Crown Lands to reserve 500 acres of Crown land at Fairlop for aerodrome purposes. The land is required by the London County Council for building purposes, and for that reason application to the Commissioner has to be made immediately.
DAILY SERVICES FROM DONCASTER?
I MPORTANT air-service development may be expected, this year, at Doncaster. The corporation has practically completed arrangements with a company to run daily passenger and freight services from the municipal aerodrome to important centres, including London. Connection between Doncaster and the Continent direct is also being discussed.
ANOTHER MUNICIPAL SITE?
PETERBOROUGH City Council hopes to establish a municipal aerodrome if the consent of the Air Ministry can be obtained for the use of a part of the R A.F. air park at Westwood.
NEW HULL-PLYMOUTH SERVICE.
THE new Hull-Plymouth service of Provincial Airways, Ltd., started on March 1. Machines leave Hull at 8.15 a.m. and reach Plymouth at 12.10 p.m., returning at 2 p.m. and arriving at Hull at 5.50 p.m. The halts are at Grimsby (by request), Nottingham, Leicester and Southampton, whilst the through fares are £5 17s. 6d. single and All 2s. 6d. return.
The proposed extension to the Isle of Wight will probably not be run.
the London-Plymouth line the machine leaves Croydon at 10 a.m. and reaches Plymouth at 12.10 p.m., leaving there at 2 p.m. and arriving at Croydon by 4.10 p.m. There are optional halts .at Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Denbury, Newquay and Penzance, as well as a regular call at Southampton.
T116 company is at present using three Dragons and keeps a Fox Moth in reserve.
AERODROME FOR BUCKS?
HIGH WYCOMBE' Borough Council is considering the establishment of a municipal aerodrome in Buckinghamshire and is calling a conference of representatives of Bucks County Council and five local bodies.
BIRMINGHAM AND MUNICIPAL OPERATING POWERS.
THE attitude of Birmingham Corporation, which led it to seek power to operate air services, was explained, last week, by Alderman A. II. James, chairman of the municipal airport committee. He said that the clause in the general Parliamentary Bill had been withdrawn because of the Government's attitude and because vested interests were opposed to it. Birmingham Corporation has no intention of competing with private enterprise in the aircraft industry, but, as the complete development of the Elmdon site will probably cost 2250,000, the corporation wishea to ensure that the facilities are properly exploited. Independent opinion holds that there is no material risk of Birmingham being omitted from the growing wtwork of internal air services.