§ 49. Mr. Croninasked the Minister of Aviation if he will make a further statement on the proposed Anglo-French collaboration on a supersonic air liner.
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI have at present nothing to add to the Press communiqué which was issued at the conclusion of my meeting with M. Buron, the French Minister of Public Works, Transport and Tourism, on 26th March.
The following is the communiqué:
The French Minister of Public Works and Transport, M. Buron, and the British Minister of Aviation, Mr. Thorneycroft, met in London today to continue their discussion of Anglo-French collaboration in the development of a supersonic transport aircraft.The two Ministers established that the work called for following their meeting on December 7th, 1961, in Paris, requiring B.A.C. and Sud Aviation to co-operate on formulating a joint outline project, had been completed satisfactorily. They had arrived at a preliminary design for an aircraft with a cruising speed slightly higher than Mach 2 and a capacity of about 100 passengers, which could be produced in two versions, one medium-haul and one transatlantic. This would serve as the basis for the possible Anglo-French development of a supersonic airliner.The Ministers agreed on the principles which might govern a co-operative programme on a fifty-fifty basis, and under a joint management structure, for the development and production of a supersonic transport aircraft.It was decided that the two companies should be invited jointly to undertake design study and other preparatory work in order to enable the Governments to reach a decision. The Ministers expect it to be completed within a few months.