§ 44. Mr. Roland Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Air what decision he has made with regard to the offer made by the British Air Charter Association, representing the independent air operators, to place aircraft and crews at the disposal of Transport Command to meet the sudden increase in demand for air freighting and air trooping which would arise in the event of an emergency.
§ Mr. CrawleyIt is recognised that aircraft charter firms will play a valuable part in supplementing Transport Command in war-time; and the British Air Charter Association were informed some time ago that their helpful suggestions had been taken into account in the general plans which have been drawn up. The formation of reserve transport squadrons from the resources of charter firms has been decided on in principle, and it is, in fact, hoped to make a start with the first of these squadrons in the near future. As regards peace-time emergencies, such as the Berlin airlift, no formal scheme for attaching charter companies to Transport Command is required. In these circumstances, charter companies are employed under normal contract arrangements.