§ 2.36 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government the following Question of which I have given them private notice—namely, whether they have any statement to make on the accident at London Airport yesterday.
THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIA-TION (LORD PAKENHAM)My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving me this opportunity of making a statement. AS the House will have heard, a British European Airways Corporation airliner crashed at London Airport last night. The aircraft was Viking number G-AHPN, flying from Paris. I deeply regret to say that, of the thirty persons on board, twenty-eight were killed. The Chief Inspector of Accidents has started his investigations, and I have decided, in all the circumstances, to have a public inquiry into the accident.
I wish to express on my own behalf and on that of His Majesty's Government —and I am sure your Lordships will associate yourselves with us—our pro-found and heartfelt sympathy for the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, I am sure that we shall all wish to be associated in a most sincere manner with that expression of sympathy. May I say that I think the noble Lord is very well-advised to institute a public inquiry? I do not know whether he will be able to answer this supplementary question. As I under-stand it, the decision whether an aircraft should land at an airport in foggy weather is entirely one for the captain of the ship; 18 it is in no way the responsibility, or at the discretion, of those responsible for the airfield. Whilst I express no opinion on that point now, does the noble Lord not think it wise to reconsider that position, which may be right or wrong, in view of accidents which have taken place on airfields in different parts of the world?
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, the noble Viscount has raised a question of great importance and considerable complexity. Like the noble Viscount I should prefer not to express an opinion at this stage on the merits of that question. It has been examined more than once by my Ministry, and possibly also during the time when the noble Viscount presided over the Ministry of Civil Aviation; and it has again recently been reviewed by the Air Safety Board. Nevertheless, in view of yesterday's tragedy, I am instigating a special re-examination of the problem to which the noble Viscount has called attention.