§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will bring the procedure for 108W licensing United States supplemental carriers into line with that exercised by the CAB for licensing British Charter carriers.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantNo. I do not think we would gain by bringing our own system of regulation into line with that of the United States, where very different conditions obtain.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) on what grounds he is proposing to impose a 90-flight limit on inclusive tours operated into the United Kingdom by American supplementals;
(2) what discussions he has had with representatives of United States supplemental airlines about limiting the number of inclusive tour charter operations into the United Kingdom;
(3) what representations he has received from American supplemental airlines about proposed limitations on inclusive tour charter operations into the United Kingdom; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantMy officials have had several discussions with representatives of various United States supplemental airlines about trans-Atlantic inclusive tour charters. The airlines concerned were informed of the proposed number next summer season on 16th December and offered alternative ways of administering it. Some have said this limitation is unwelcome to them—as are some restrictions in the United States on activities of United Kingdom independent airlines. Non-scheduled flights are subject to control by each country concerned, and in the United Kingdom foreign operators need a permit under Article 73 of the Air Navigation Order.
In concert with other countries of the European Civil Aviation Conference, the United Kingdom is continuing to control these inclusive tour charter flights in the interests of orderly development as part of the international air services catering for trans-Atlantic traffic.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for inclusive tour charter operations into and out of the United Kingdom by American supplemental airlines were refused in each of the years 1960 to 1970.
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§ Mr. Anthony GrantThese airlines were scheduled to undertake trans-Atlantic inclusive tour charters under their own country's regulatory system only in the later years of the decade. Information is not readily available for the years before 1968. The position in 1968 and 1969 was complicated by applications withdrawn and sometimes represented by the airlines and by permissions given but not utilised. No applications conforming to the minimum price conditions were refused in 1968 and 1969. In 1970 one charter conforming to those conditions was refused. Three other applications were initially refused, but, at the airline's request, were subsequently permitted in place of other flights for which it already had permission.