Asian Airlines May Flout Rules

Orient Airlines Association said Thursday.

James Strong, chief executive of Qantas of Australia and the association's chairman, said Asian airlines would be pinned to the wall'' by the new regulations, drawn up by the department of transport, for aircraft departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. UK noise limits which will come into effect on January 1 would particularly hit fully-loaded Boeing 747s, used by many Asian airlines flying from London, he said.

He was speaking at a press conference at the start of the annual gathering of the heads of Asian airlines.

The government has said the limits are less stringent than those demanded by people living near the three airports.

 

Strong said Asian airlines would face the choice of taking off from London with fewer passengers and freight in order to meet the limits, or contravening them and paying fines.

Reducing aircraft loads would be difficult for commercial reasons, so airlines were likely to have to break the limits and add the fines to their operating costs.

To reduce loads would destroy the economics of long-haul flying'', he said.

The association said airlines would be fined