§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that the Singapore and Malaysian Governments give fair treatment to British air carriers;
(2) what steps he has taken to ensure that British air carriers do not face unfair competition from Malaysian and Singapore national air carriers;
(3) when his Department last received a request from Singapore Airlines or Malaysian Airline System for greater access to British airports.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyRequests from Singapore Airlines to operate additional frequencies to the United Kingdom were last discussed between United Kingdom and Singapore civil aviation officials at air services consultations held in London earlier this month. These consultations are expected to resume in March. Similar requests have been received from Malaysian Airline System in recent months and these requests are the subject of discussions between the airlines.
In the current discussions with Singapore, and at such time as the Malaysian requests may be the subject of consultations at the Government level, I hope that it will be possible to agree on a broadly balanced expansion of the opportunities for the provision of air services by all the airlines concerned.