§ Mr. Roseasked the Minister of Aviation whether he will undertake a survey of passengers leaving London Airport with a view to ascertaining which overseas services can be transferred to provincial airports.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsYes. I am about to conduct a survey broadly comparable to that mentioned by the hon. Member with a view to helping to establish the potential demand for direct air services between the provinces and the Continent.
§ Mr. Roseasked the Minister of Aviation whether he will give general directions, in the public interest, to the British Overseas Airways Corporation and to British European Airways, to transfer air services where appropriate to independent provincial airports, in view of the fact that they have unused capacity.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsNo. The provision of air services is a matter for the commercial judgment of the airlines, subject to any necessary licences being obtained from the Air Transport Licensing Board and to the availability of any necessary air traffic rights. But I trust that the Air Corporations, as well as other airlines, will have full regard to the results of the survey which I am launching and of which I have already informed the hon. Member in reply to a previous Question.