From the archives: Civil aviation and devolution, 5 April, 1949

THE Scottish Council (Development and Industry) have prepared a memorandum in draft on the question of civil aviation in Scotland, and, after further consultations, they propose to submit it to various authorities, including the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Speaking at a Press conference in Edinburgh last night, Dr C. Macrae, secretary of the Council, stated that they were watching the functioning of the nationalised industries in Scotland, and, in the first place, had been looking particularly at civil aviation. “It is clear,” he said, “on what we have elicited, that there is a strong case on technical grounds for the maximum possible measure of effective devolution in the administration and running of air services in Scotland.”

He added that their inquiry was, at the moment, addressed primarily to internal services and to services between Scotland and England.

• archive.scotsman.com