CIVIL AVIATION, AFRICA (Hansard, 13 March 1951)

§ Mr. John Grimston (St. Albans)

After 12 hours of acute party controversy it is pleasant, even at this late hour, to turn to a subject on which there will be a considerable amount of agreement on both sides. I want to put a number of questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, for the most of which I have given prior notice, in order to find out the intentions of the Ministry in so far as they are 1503 responsible for a number of matters connected with civil aviation in Africa. Africa will only be fully developed by the use of aeroplanes as a means of transport. It is the rule, rather than the exception, in Africa for people to move by air.

I wish to ask the intentions of the Ministry in regard to the trunk aerodromes. It has been announced that the Comet aircraft will go into service fairly soon, but we all know that the aerodromes it will have to use are quite insufficient. It is imperative, if the aeroplane is to be operated, that either new aerodromes should be made available or that the existing ones should be lengthened. Is the Comet to fly down the Nile route, or down the Hermes route of Nigeria and across the Sahara? If it is to fly down the Nile route a number of aerodromes will need attention, and I should like to know what the intentions are in regard to them.

Khartoum has a runway of less than 2,000 yards and is wholly insufficient for handling the Comet. The second is Nairobi, which is 5,000 feet above sea-level and has a runway of 2,600 yards and is also quite incapable of handling the Comet. Then there is Salisbury, which is known to be insufficient, having a runway of 1,600 yards and being 5,000 feet above sea-level. I want to know, first the route which the Comet is expected to fly, and, secondly, what is being done to provide it with suitable aerodromes.

Next I should like to know about the decision to abandon the Princess flying boat which was to have flown this route and which we are now told has been withdrawn from that project. Has money been spent on the projected base to handle the Princess at Lagos? There are other projected bases at Stanley Pool and another at Vaaldam near Johannesburg. Has any money been spent on those, and has that money to be written off?

My next point relates to radio communications. These are extremely sketchy, particularly throughout Central Africa. I think a good deal of use could be made of the men who handle the radio services connected with aircraft. They could be used in between whiles to supplement the extremely poor communications which exist in a north-south direction down Africa. It seems to me that if the radio 1504 services were better staffed than they are we could expect to use these men in their free time to supplement the very poor communications. It is almost impossible to send a telegram from north to south at the moment without it going down by the sea and then inland again—a very slow operation.

My next point concerns navigational aids. The standard navigational aid in Africa is a beacon to which an aeroplane can fly. That in normal times is an extremely easy and simple way of finding one's way about, but if the airborne instrument goes wrong there is no means whatever at the moment whereby a ground station can find an aircraft. That is a very important service which can be performed in every other country in the world, but it cannot be performed in Africa. Anywhere in the thousand miles between Khartoum and Nairobi one is entirely out of touch with the ground if one's instrument goes wrong. In my view, the V.H.F./D.F. or one of those similar systems should be installed for emergency use only on all the main aerodromes and even 300 or 400 miles down that route.

Another point is that these beacons to which aeroplanes can fly are very simple and cheap to operate, and it would not be at all difficult to get amateurs to set them up and operate them by themselves. For example, at N'Changa there is an ex-R.A.F. man who himself runs a radio service as a hobby. I know he would be delighted to operate a beacon of this kind. The equipment would only be an obsolete R.A.F. wireless set, and this equipment could be simply and cheaply installed there and at a number of other places, thus greatly adding to the information available, particularly to hundreds of small aircraft as they fly over the area.

In connection with the need for V.H.F./D.F. or some similar service to enable people on the ground to find aircraft, I would mention that on the recent exhibition tour of one of our latest aircraft, the Miles Marathon, the crew, who were extremely experienced, found themselves above cloud over Africa and completely out of touch with the ground. They were unable to locate their position in any way. Their petrol was getting low, and they got to a point where they sent out an S.O.S. as they came through the cloud without knowing what they were going to hit. That could happen to 1505 any aeroplane, and it could be overcome by providing emergency direction finding systems. The range of the ordinary high frequency radio is extremely good in Africa, because of the favourable atmospheric conditions, and I think a good deal of use could be made of that type.

Finally, can the Minister use his influence, particularly with bodies such as the Colonial Development Corporation, to see that the aerodromes they lay down for their projects are suitable for British types of aircraft. I tried to land at one of the Colonial Development Corporation projects at Chinteche and found the aerodrome there totally unsuitable for common British types, but suitable for American. The result is that American light aircraft are having a tremendous vogue in Africa and we are not developing in this country the bush light aircraft for which there will be an increasing demand in Africa and which we are well able to produce. If the aerodromes were furnished with 1,000-yard runways and reinforced surfaces, so that British aircraft could use them, I think British manufacturers would be able to get an increasing share of a market which they are at the moment losing to the Americans.

I have cut my remarks short to give the Minister a chance to reply. I put them forward in no unfriendly spirit. All parties agree that the development of Africa must go ahead, and there is no doubt that the aeroplane is going to play a tremendous part in that development. Let us see that the facilities provided on the ground for those who use the air provide the maximum amount of safety for passengers and encourage the use of British aircraft wherever possible.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (Mr. Beswick)

I should like to say how much I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's kind gesture in saying at 2.30 a.m. that he will make it possible for the Minister to get away early. I agree with him about the importance of the subject which he has raised and that the development of Africa is vitally important not only to the Africans and to us, but to the whole world. In that development air transport is going to play an important part. It is a very big subject for a short Adjournment, and he will excuse me if I run rather quickly through the catalogue of points he raised.

1506 The first is that of aerodromes. It is important to appreciate that the United Kingdom Government does not have over-riding authority to decide the development of aerodromes or, indeed, the provision of any other ground facilities in African territory. That responsibility rests with the local authorities, whether Commonwealth, Colonial or a caretaker administration for ex-enemy territories, as in the case of Tripolitania. What the United Kingdom can do, and does, is to make known the needs of United Kingdom operators to the authorities who are responsible and so far as possible these needs are met in common with those of the operators of other countries. We are prepared to consult with and advise any local administration on the numerous technical problems.

Where the cost of the facilities provided would be out of all proportion to the Territory's interest in the passage of international air services through its territory, the United Kingdom Government are prepared to contribute towards the cost, but the final decision on what is to be done, nevertheless, must remain a matter for the decision of the local government. Since 1945 much has been done to define in detail what ground facilities are needed in Africa for immediate needs and for the long-term future.

On an international basis, a comprehensive network of ground facilities was worked out and agreed at the Africa-Indian Ocean Regional meeting in London in 1949, under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The United Kingdom and the Colonial Governments took a prominent part, and we kept in mind the concerns of B.O.A.C., and of the colonial operators, such as the East African Airways, the Central African Airways, and others. Much work is also done informally, but I should like to mention a special meeting of the Southern African Air Transport Council which took place at Nairobi, a few weeks ago. This is a council which has enabled representatives of the Union of South Africa, and of the colonial governments in Africa, to meet representatives of the U.K. to discuss matters of common interest and to resolve difficulties.

With regard to the aerodromes which the hon. and gallant Member has mentioned, and of which he was good 1507 enough to give me some prior notice, they have often been discussed between interested governments. We have made our views known and decisions have been taken which are generally satisfactory to us. Castel Benito in Tripolitania is adequate for current operations, and the future of this aerodrome is bound up with the emergence of the United Libya which is expected next year. About Khartoum, agreement has been reached for lengthening the runway. This should be completed by the summer of 1952, and should be adequate for all aircraft in service at present. Further extension of this runway would be extremely difficult owing to the proximity of the railway.

At Nairobi, the aerodrome is regarded as adequate for current aircraft, but there again, altitude may penalise jet engined machines. Arrangements for overcoming this difficulty, without incurring disproportionate costs, are now under consideration with the local authorities. At Entebbe, work on the second runway is under way, and this runway ought to meet all foreseeable requirements. The Tanganyika Government have recently announced plans for development of Dar-es-Salaam. At Livingstone, where a new aerodrome was opened by my noble Frieind last August, the aerodrome is equipped to a very high standard, and the Northern Rhodesian Government have spared no effort to make it satisfactory. At Salisbury I understand that the Southern Rhodesian Government have plans for a new aerodrome. The existing one is in some respects unsatisfactory. At Johannesburg, for aircraft types which are now coming along, the Union of South Africa is building a new airport to be named after the great statesman, Jan Smuts.

As to the use of the Comet, B.O.A.C., have announced that they intend to use it on their South African services, but it would not be in their commercial interest to give advance information to their competitors about detailed routeing. They will continue in partnership with South African Airways, and their plans must be subject to the views of their partners. As a result of extensive operational trials of the Comet, which are to be held throughout this year, I hope that the two Commonwealth countries will be able 1508 to settle plans for the service in more detail.

I was asked about the decision not to operate the Princess flying boat, and whether that decision was final. Finality in aviation seems to me to be something of a relative term, but I can see no prospect of these flying boats operating on commercial services on this route. Nor, indeed, was there ever any firm decision that they would. The possibility was considered, but this consideration was only exploratory and, as far as I am advised, no expenditure did take place either at Vaaldam or at Lagos.

As far as feeder aerodromes are concerned, that is entirely a matter for the Colonial Governments to decide and I am not able to discuss individual cases. I did try to identify Chinteche but neither we nor the Colonial Office could track it down. In view of what has since been said, I shall have another look at it and see if we can bring to the notice of the people concerned what the hon. Member has said.

As far as communications go, I must reiterate that the direct responsibility rests with the local governments and not with the United Kingdom. I do agree, and it is generally recognised, that there is room for improvement both in commercial and aeronautical telecommunications. We have made a good deal of progress since the war and as far as the British territories are concerned, the United Kingdom is assisting, through the Colonial Development and Welfare Telecommunications Fund, and grants are also made by my Department in respect of those countries in which we have trunk route interests. As far as omni-directional beacons are concerned, I agree there is scope for their increased use and further installations have been planned and agreed as to sitings on an international basis.

We have taken account internationally, when fixing these sites, of the needs of the operators and of possible feeder services. There is, of course, the limiting factor of equipment and availability of radio frequencies. It is also possible that a number of low-power beacons will be installed in addition to those recommended by the international scheme. I would also add that we propose to fulfil the I.C.A.O. recommendations as far as V.H.F./D.F. is concerned.

1509 I was rather surprised that the hon. Gentleman said that H.F./D.F. may have some advantage. We shall not be installing new H.F. facilities, but a number of installations in use will remain available for some further time and certainly until we are able to complete the new system. I might say that if there are any individual problems the hon. Gentleman would like to deal with in more detail, I would be grateful to him if he would write to me or speak to me about it afterwards, and perhaps I could let him have some further details.

Bearing in mind his desire that the House should have an early evening off, I would just end by saying that I hope he will agree with me that putting down plans throughout Africa is no easy 1510 matter. There are all kinds of problems involved and I feel our people have done a very good job in providing the installations that are now in use. A good deal has been done but much remains to be done and I firmly believe we shall make progress as far as the limitations of equipment allow us. As for the rest, I am pleased the hon. Gentleman has raised this matter in the House. It will help to keep up interest and I am sure that all those concerned will read what he has had to say in HANSARD, not tomorrow but the day after.