Catalogue description Air Transport Advisory Council: Minutes and Papers

The Air Transport Advisory Council was established under the Civil Aviation Act 1947, as part of the Government's policy to help forward the sound development of civil air services. The Council's membership was selected by the Minister of Civil Aviation, and it first met in January 1949.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Council was responsible as a licensing authority for the assessment of proposed associate agreements between British European Airways (BEA), the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and air charter companies to operate routes in the UK, and to approve other routes where agreements were not required. The Council had to examine whether operators fulfilled various conditions laid down by the Minister with regard to equipment, organisational standards, conditions of service of employees, foreign investment in the company etc. The Council would then recommend to the Minister approval, refusal or modification of the application and would recommend the period of approval which was not normally more than three years.

In 1952 the Government declared its policy as being that it favoured a combination of public and private enterprise in whatever way was in the best interests of British civil aviation. It was their intention to reduce the cost of air transport to the taxpayer and to give greater opportunities to private enterprise to take part in air transport development without in any way impairing the competitive strength of British international air services. This policy was implemented by amending the terms of the Council which was then reconstituted. Under the new terms of reference, the two air corporations and the independent operators were free to apply to operate new scheduled services in defined categories, but the existing networks of the two corporations remained exclusively reserved to them.

The Council ceased to function in July 1961, when its functions were taken over by the Air Transport Licensing Board which had been created under the Civil Aviation (Licensing) Act 1960.