Evening star., 1936-08-09
D. c, AIR TRAFFIC
MAKESSELECT|ON
: OF PORT PROBLEM
More Than $4,000 Passen.
gers, 1,4O0, 900 Pieces of
! Mail Handled Monthly.
CAPITALS PUT FOURTH
AMONG PORTS OF U. S.
Four Transport Lines and Two
Sightseeing Services 0p.
crate Here.

The magnitude of the problem fac
ing the District Airport Commission
in its present task Of determining the
type of air transport terminal to be
recommended for Washington, and
selecting a suitable airport site, is re-
vealed by a survey, which shows that
local air transport operations today
involve the handling of more than
$4,000 pay passengers, more than l.
100000 pieces Of outgoing airmail and
more than / 100 air express shipments
each month.
Despite the serious handicap OF a
lack Of any sort If governmental policy
regarding a local air transport ter
minal Washington has grown to a
position as one of the worlds busiest
air terminals. 1t is believed that only
three other American cities exceed
Washington in volume of air trans
port business. None of the world
capitals approach Washington in air
4 transport activities, according to avail
| able figures.
i Washington is virtually alone among
. large American cities in its lack Of a
governmentallv owned air terminal
, 1t Is the only major world capital
, which lacks a model air terminal
owned and operated by the national
government
One Of Most Important Fields.
Lacking governmental support and
crippled by Federal claims to part of
its landing area, which have prevented
adequate development of its property
as an air transport terminal, Washing
ton Airport today ranks in volume OF
business as one of the most important
landing fields in the world. Develop
ment of the local airport also has been
hampered by the fact that its landing
area is divided by Military road, main-
tained as highway across the air.
ports principal runway.
To determine the amount of air
, transport business now going on here
, in the absence of q consolidated re-
port. The Star has made a survey OF
local air transport lines, sightseeing
services and airmail and express
operations.
: This Survey shows that four air
transport lines and two sightseeing
services now handle an average of
1880 passengers a month at Wash
ington Airport. Post ONCE Depart.
lnent figures show an average of ST.
18l pounds of outgoing airmail a
month. all Of which originates in the
District. It is probable that nearly
an equal amount of incoming mail is
received at Washington Airport, in
. addition to airmail which merely
goes through Washington, possibly
being transferred here from one air.
. mail line to another. Consolidated
figures Of Railway Express, which
handles air express shipments on all
air transport lines serving the city,
show an increase of 280 per cent in
local express business during the past
. year.
70 Scheduled Arrivals Daily.
There now are u scheduled air
transport plane arrivals and depar-
lures at Washington Airport each "a
hours. This is entirely apart from
sightseeing operations and the oper-
alton of non-scheduled commercial
and private aircraft.
Largest of the four airlines serv-
Ing Washington, from the standpoint
Of local operations, is Eastern Air
lines. Eastern operates air mail, pas
senger and express service from New
York through Washington to New
Orleans and Miami. 1t also operates
a line from Chicago to Jacksonville,
Fla, which does not enter into the
local picture. Eastern Air now oper-
ates 80 schedules a day between
Washington and New York. or IS
round trips, with eight services to the
South from Washington to Miami,
New Orleans and Richmond, Va.
Airline traffic reports show that
Eastern takes out of Washington each
day an average of 130 passengers, or
a total of $500 a month. Approx
mately the same number of incoming
passengers leave Eastern Air planes
at Washington Airport. In addition.
there are approximately 2,100 addi-
tional passengers each month who
merely pass through Washington on
Eastern Air planes. This is total of
(See AIR TRAFFIC, Page B-2)