AVIATION IN BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20092, 1 November 1928, Page 13

AVIATION IN BRITAIN.

OFFICIAL ENCOURAGEMENT. MUNICIPAL AERODROMES. APPEAL TO THE PROVINCES. GROWTH IN AIR SERVICES. (UeceiveU October 31, !>,],■> p.m.) British Wireless. TtUOBY, Oct. HO. A remarkable new sfep toward the promotion of civil aviation has been taken by the Air Ministry. It has addressed a circular letter to the Town Clerks of flic chief provincial cities and towns asking their councils to consider the ad visabiltv of establishing municipal aerodromes willi as little delay as possible. Tho communication says: The development of living within Britain is almost entirely dependent on tho provision of aerodromes at the large centres. These aerodromes and auxiliary services by air. if only on the grounds of the capital cost, must he confined to terminal points on tho trunk route. The establishment of a network of aerodromes throughout the country to serve, tho general purposes of internal flying must devolve on the local authorities who may indeed expect to benefit ultimately by tho traffic and the commerce which will follow the provision of these facilities. It is the opinion of the members of the Air Council that the authorities in every town of any importance will sooner or later find it just as essential to possess favourably situated aerodromes as they do to-day to possess railway stations, roads and garages. This appeal to the municipal authorities is reinforced by a statement of the progress made by fin* regular British air services. These now consist of the crossChannel service and that between Cairo and Basra. The growth of traffic on the cross-Channel air services is showing a marked increase. Tn 1927 British machines carried 16,5.33 passengers, compared with 5256 in 1921. Notwithstanding the keen competition by four foreign air lines which operate services to Croydon from various parts of the Continent, British machines are carrying by far the largest number of passengers. In 1927 Belgian machines carried 1490. French 5199. German 1972, and Netherlands machines 3586 passengers. ENGLAND TO INDIA. MAIN STAGES OF ROUTE. JOURNEY TO OCCUPY A WEEK. Times Cable. LONDON, Oct. ?,0. The main stages of a new 5000 miles air route between England and India have now been settled. A survey parlv formed by Imperial' Airways, Limited, under Flight-Lieutenant B. Gross, a former flying-boat expert under the Air Ministry. who has been appointed Mediterranean manager of the company, will leave England shortly to locate intermediate bases. Air passengers from London will take an aeroplane to Basle. Switzerland, and travel from there by a night express through fhe Alps. Genoa will be readied in 24 hours. At Genoa passengers will embark on a •Short-Calcutta type of living-boat, for a two and a half days' journey to Alexandria. On the way calls will be made at Home, Naples, the Greek islands, probably nt Gallipoli, and then at Crete and Tobrnk. Tho flying-boat will follow the coast to Alexandria where the Egyptian Government is having a combined marine and land airport built. There the passengers will connect with the existing transdesert. air service. They will reach Basra, Irak, in one day. and Karachi, India, in two and a-lialf days, making the total journey seven days from London. It is expected that this time will be I considerably shortened soon after the | service comes into operai ion m April. It I is assumed that Imperial Airways. Limited. ill tile near future, will extend ils [ Middle Last, loute to Singapore where ! it will branch into lbe Australian, (.'bin- | ese and Japanese seel ions.