Commonwealth Air Transport Council

HC Deb 18 June 1969 vol 785 cc479-81

26. Mr. Boston

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council.

74. Mr. Dalyell

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will make a statement about the recent meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council.

Mr. William Rodgers

The meeting was a successful one. Nineteen members of the council and five British overseas territories were represented, and the very full agenda was usefully discussed.

With permission, I will arrange for some additional information to be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Boston

What progress is being made on noise certification? What action is being taken to obtain further international agreement on this? What international agreement is being sought on the problem of sonic bangs from supersonic airliners?

Mr. Rodgers

The conference was not concerned primarily with certification, because, as my hon. Friend knows, this is mainly a matter for the British, French and United States Governments. The problem of noise was certainly mentioned, including by myself when opening the conference. Good progress was made in discussing all the consequences of the development of Concorde and the operation of S.S.T.

Mr. Dalyell

At the Commonwealth Air Transport Council, was it considered appropriate to discuss the Commonwealth Games, which are to be held in Edinburgh in 1970? In particular, what is to be done about the ground landing equipment and the ground radar equipment and Trident installations at Edinburgh airport?

Mr. Rodgers

I very much regret that this very important item did not find its way on to the agenda.

Mr. Corfield

The hon. Gentleman said that good progress was made in discussions on the operation of Concorde. Can he say anything about what decisions were taken, or what recommendations were made, about the operation of Concorde at supersonic speeds over land?

Mr. Rodgers

The Council did not expect to reach decisions. It was convened largely in order to inform interested Governments of the progress which had been made in the United Kingdom. We shall keep them in touch in future, but we cannot expect just now any decisions of the kind the hon. Gentleman mentioned.

Following is the information:

The Seventh Meeting of the Commonwealth Air Transport Council was held at the premises of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Northumberland Avenue, W.C.2, from 3rd to 13th June, 1969. 2. The following member countries of the Council were represented:

• Australia
• Barbados
• Canada
• Ceylon
• Cyprus
• East African Community
• Ghana
• Guyana
• India
• Jamaica
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• United Kingdom.

Representatives from Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong and Gibraltar also attended. Representatives from France and from the Commonwealth Secretariat were present by special invitation. 3. Observers from the United Kingdom aeronautical and electronic industries, Commonwealth airlines, the Air Registration Board and the British Airports Authority were present and contributed to discussion. 4. The first week of the Conference was devoted to discussion of the development of Concorde and the operation of SSTs. Later discussions included the introduction of jumbo jets, and future civil transport aircraft. Papers were presented by the United Kingdom, and by Australia (Satellite communication) Hong Kong (ATC requirements for SSTs and the impact of the jumbo jets on aerodrome design) Singapore (Proposed routes to be operated by SSTs and Training requirements) New Zealand (Hovercraft). 5. Delegates visited the BAC and Rolls-Royce works at Filton where they saw the Concorde assembly line and the Olympus 593 under test. They spent a day visiting RAE Farnborough and the National Gas Turbine Establishment and crossed the Channel to Calais in a SRN-4 hovercraft.