HC Deb 26 April 1971 vol 816 cc24-5W
Mr. Adley

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will give details of the monthly load-factors to date of the Boeing 747, for those airlines having traffic rights for this aircraft between the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and of the load-factors on the Boeing 707 for a similar number of months from its first introduction into service on the North Atlantic by the same airlines.

Mr. Noble

No. The information is not available.

Mr. Adley

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimated cruising speed, respectively, of the Douglas DC7C, the Boeing 707, and Concorde; how much time elapsed between the introduction into scheduled service on the North Atlantic of the Boeing 707 and the elimination from scheduled service on that route of piston-engined aircraft for those airlines having traffic rights between the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Corfield

For the Douglas DC7C about 275 knots. For the Boeing 707 about 470 knots. For the Concorde about 1,150 knots.

The Boeing 707 was introduced into scheduled service between London and New York in October, 1958.

The DC7C was withdrawn from nonstop scheduled service between London and New York in the spring of 1960, about 1½ years later, and from through stopping service in the autumn of 1962, about four years after the introduction of the Boeing 707.

The last service from London to New York operated in part by piston-engined aircraft did not cease until May, 1968. This service, by Loftleidr, used piston-engined aircraft between London and Keflavik and non-piston propeller driven aircraft between Keflavik and New York.

Mr. Adley

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what is the percentage cruising-speed increase between the DC7C and the Boeing 707; the Boeing 707 and Boeing 747; and between Boeing 747 and Concorde.

Mr. Corfield

For typical long-range flights as across the Atlantic in standard conditions:

the increase in cruising speed of the Boeing 707 compared with the DC7C is about 70 per cent.;

the increase in cruising speed of the Boeing 747 compared with the Boeing 707 is small, about 5 per cent.;

the increase in cruising speed of the Concorde compared with the Boeing 747 is about 135 per cent.

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