§ Sir H. BRITTAINasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can give the House the latest figure of aeroplanes in Germany licensed for air traffic; how many of these belong to Luft Hansa; what is the comparable number licensed for air traffic in Great Britain; and what possibilities can he hold out of an increase in the near future?
§ Sir S. HOAREAs regards the first and third parts of the question, the latest available figures for German and British commercial aircraft, to which I assume that my hon. Friend refers, were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Stourbridge (Mr. Wellock) on 13th March. As regards the second part, the; number of aircraft owned by Luft Hansa on 30th November last was 216. As regards the last part, I have every hope that the result of the extended activities of Imperial Airways, Ltd., of the inauguration of National Flying Services, Ltd., and of the increase expected in the general use of aircraft for commercial purposes will be a marked improvement in the British figure.