Nothing concrete on fare cuts — Minister

Press, 19 August 1978, Page 6

Nothing concrete on fare cuts — Minister

The Minister of Transport(Mr McLachlan) says he hasi no concrete proposals toi make to the Cabinet about! reduced fares on international! flights to Australia and New! Zealand. Mr McLachlan met theAustralian Minister of Trans-i port (Mr Nixon) in Can-| ben-a this week for talks on! aviation and shipping. Upon his return to New; Zealand last evening, Mr McLachlan said only that the : meeting had discussed "howl to go about the matter of! cheaper fares.” He would: rot say if the talks favoured the introduction of cheaper fares, or if he. as Minister of Transport, did. Cheaper fares were dis-

I cussed, both on interi national flights into the two countries, and on Tasman services, he said. The British “Skytrain” owner. Sir Fred- | die Laker, was not men-i 1 tioned. There would be more bi- : lateral agreements. and : efforts to fill seats on Qantas and Air New Zealand flights. New Zealand and Australia would do “nothing to hurt leach other.” The talks were partly a| i prelude to the visit soon of British and American officials! to Australia to “see what; direction things were tak-l ling.” Mr McLachlan said he had! no comments to make on the I SlO airport tax introduced in | Australia on incoming flights.!

“That is Mr Nixon’s business not mine. I’m not going to comment on what he does in his country',” he said. A special report on Tasman shipping commissioned by Mr McLachlan and Mr Nixon will be referred to those Ministers responsible for the New ZealandAustralia Free Trade Agreement, reports the Press Association from Sydney. The report, say the MinisI ters, shows that the high cost jof Tasman shipping inhibits two-way trade, and reflects the concern of exporters that Tasman shipping costs are generally higher than costs of shipping to other overseas markets over longer routes. The report has not yet been made public.