DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT TURN DOWN ARGENTINE REQUEST FOR FALKLANDS FLIGHTS
By J. Brock (FINN)
At a public meeting which was held on Tuesday, 22 April it was revealed that the Department of Transport in the United Kingdom had turned down an Argentine Request for flights between Argentina and the Falkland Islands and has sent Aerolineas Argentinas a letter explaining why the decision was taken. The original application was for one flight a week with the start date being next month.
Though Councillors’ views were well known, it would not be them that made the decision, seeing that the application had been turned down at Department of Transport level..
Councillors agreed that the problem with flights between Argentina and the Falklands was sorted with the 1999 Joint Statement when LanChile agreed to one flight from Rio Gallegos per month. The service that LanChile supply is so popular that they are the preferred airline to take on a second weekly flight, which is much needed, especially during the summer tourist season.
Cllr Norma Edwards felt that the request was as a result of electioneering and that there wasn’t any substance to it. This opinion reflects the feelings of the public, who note the application date was 02 April 2003.
