§ 36. Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Aviation what steps he is taking, pending the construction of the new passenger building, to improve the present facilities for handling passengers arriving at London Airport, North, particularly when two aircraft land at the same time.
§ Mr. RipponThe Central Terminal will be used to relieve congestion.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerThat is not a very informative answer. Is not the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the "high utilisation factor", to which he referred just now, is extremely high in these huts on London Airport, North? Is he aware that trans-Atlantic passengers have a tedious and disagreeable time when aeroplanes arrive simultaneously? Is not this a very bad introduction for visitors to this country, and will not he provide something which is a little more informative than the Answer he has given?
§ Mr. RipponIt is an informative Answer in the sense that it contains all the information. What happens is that when there are delayed or non-scheduled flights and certain charter flights, these are now diverted to the Central Terminal to relieve the congestion. We all know the problem and, as I informed my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Sir A. V. Harvey) last week, the first part of the long haul building will be completed in the late summer of 1961 and the remainder early in 1962.