§ Mr. Donald Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what was the cost of the charter of an aircraft for his recent visit to Moscow; and what was the lowest tender he received for this charter.
§ Mr. M. StewartThe cost of chartering the British European Airways Comet IV aircraft for my visit to Moscow and Bonn was £4,250. The only other tender was from a private charter company. Unlike British European Airways, this company would have been obliged to carry on board a Soviet screening team. This would possibly have involved an inter-mediate stop at Copenhagen. The cost of this charter would then have been £3,260. In view of the long operating experience of British European Airways on the Moscow route, and of the greater operating flexibility offered to British European Airways at the time that arrangements were being made, I decided that it would be right on this occasion for me to travel by the national airline.