With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together.
For the 1970 summer season permission has been granted to a foreign airline to operate 11 student charter flights to the USA. These flights were organised by the Irish Student Employment and Travel Association—ISETA. The national airline had not the necessary capacity available to operate the flights on the dates required.
Within Europe student charter flights are organised by student bodies and operated by non IATA airlines on a basis which does not meet the rules governing charter flights adopted by IATA. IATA companies, therefore, including Aer Lingus, do not participate in this business. Permission has been freely granted for such flights to foreign airlines and no objections have been received.
No representations have been received from the Union of Students in Ireland regarding the operation of student charter flights from this country by foreign airlines. Representations in this matter were, however, received from the Irish Student Travel Service —USIT—and were duly considered.