asked the Minister for Communications if his attention has been drawn to the recent arrangement ending the air-fare cartel between London and Amsterdam; and if he will take steps to have a similar arrangement come to with the British Government to allow competition in air-fares between the UK and Ireland and to bring the existing cartel to an end.
Written Answers. - Ireland-UK Air Fares.
539.
I have seen report about an arrangement concluded between British Airways and KLM for the introduction of a new low fare between London and Amsterdam. It is my understanding that the new fare, which has a very limited availability, is being introduced on an experimental basis and that IATA machinery will continue to be used by both airlines in discussing tariff proposals with each other and with other European airlines.
Ireland is a party to an international agreement of 1967 on the procedure for the establishment of tariffs for scheduled air services and I do not propose any departure from those procedures at the present time. I will, of course, keep the matter under review, taking account of developments both within the EEC and within ECAC, the European Civil Aviation Conference, which is representative of 22 European civil aviation administrations.