FREEDOM OF THE AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25799, 21 March 1945, Page 5

FREEDOM OF THE AIR

BRITAIN OPPOSED TO POLICY

PLANS FOR EMPIRE SERVICES CAPETOWN, Mar. 19. “Britain does not hold to the ideal of freedom of the air as she has always done where the sea is concerned,” said the British Minister of Civil Aviation. Lord Swinton, who is attending the Empire Air Conference. He added: — “If freedom of the air means dogfights with maximum competition, maximum subsidies, and maximum illwill on every side then we have set our faces dead against it. We oppose unlimited competition, and therefore in our domestic policy we are applying our international policy that there must be order in the air. “ Britain probably cannot be Number One in the air—her planes do not outnumber the Americans — but she will hold her own.” Lord Swinton sa ! d Britain’s biggest planes in the future would probably be employed on the trans-Atlantic route, and 250,0001 b planes accommodating 100 passengers were now being built for this service. Nothing much bigger than 100,0001 b planes would be required for the services to the dominions, and the planes on these routes would not be much bigger than the present Tudors and Yorks The dominions’ aerodromes should be planned to handle planes up to 100,0001 b. The Avro-York plane in which Lord Swinton flew from London to Capetown co\ ered ti e distance in 38 hours 44 minutes. This beat the record of 391 hours established before the war by" Alex. Henshaw.