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‘File 13/22 India – Persian Gulf Air Route. India – U.K. Air Route’ [3r] (5/138)
The record is made up of 1 file (67 folios). It was created in 5 Apr 1946-1 Aug 1948. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
for an air line. Should it be possible to utilise the
aerodrome at Gwadur* still more traffic would be avail
able, but in any case this distance provides a useful
refuelling stop for the more economical types of aircraft.
5. At Sharjah, this air line could land simply
by paying landing fees to His Majesty^ Government who
already maintain and administer the aerodrome and have
an agreement with the Shaikh of that place. fhere is a
large Indian community both here and In Dubai who already
appreciate air facilities, and in addition the Indian ; ost
Office at Sharjah or Dubai would naturally sent their
postal packets, which can be quite considerable, by an
Indian air line, which would be fully justified since
Indian internal air postage rates are now charged.
6 . At Bahrain, the air line could land on
similar terms and little expenditure would be required.
Here again there is a very large Indian community, a close
c onnection with Karachi and Bombay, an Indian Post Office
which would make available large quantities of postal air
mail packets to and from India, and finally an Arab
community fully alive to the advantages of air travel and
the disadvantages which they now experience in endeavouring
to secure passages on long distance aeroplanes.
7. * At Kuwait the aerodrome is not at present
maintained, but it is an all-weather aerodrome (regularly
used by Kuwait Oil Company planes up to Lockheeds) which
has very seldom gone out of order, and meteorological
reports of Basra would with very occasional exceptions^
suffice for Kuwait. Here a good deal of traffic could be
expected since not merely is there an Indian Post Office
which would provide a quantity of air mail, but there is a
growing Indian community based upon the Kuwait Oil Compaay.
An air line landing here would be most popular with trie
Arabs in that they would not be obliged, as they are at
present, to wait a month for a visa to Iraq in order to
fly from Basra. The distance from Kuwait to Basra is a
very short one but the traffic that Kuwait would provide
w ould fully justify a halt here.
S. Basra is the logical terminus of this line
and medium-sized aircraft could continue to land in the
Basra air port Margil. There can be no doobt that with
the close and rapidly increasing trade links that Iraq is
forging with India, Basra would provide a considerable
number of passengers, and in addition at certaii times
there would be a very large pilgrim traffic which might
call for extra planes.
9. To sum up, this air line would only be
required to fly short distances, through areas with large
Indian interests and Indian Post Offices, and with a
population well accustomed to air travel,. Potential
passengers are at present badly served owing to the ±act
that the existing air lines cater to long distance
travellers and give them preference over local traffic.
/ If the
About this item
- Content
The file contains papers relating to the status of existing, and proposals for new, air routes running along the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Aside from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain, the principal correspondents in the file are representatives of the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , Foreign Office and Government of India, and representatives of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) at Bahrain.
Specific topics covered by the file include: a recommendation by the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. (Sir Charles Geoffrey Prior), in April 1946, to consider the Arab coast in future air routes between India and the UK (ff 2-4); a proposal by an Indian company, in April 1947, to operate a twice-weekly service between Karachi and Baghdad, stopping en route at Bahrain and Sharjah (folios 6-7), with similar proposals made by Iraqi Airways; discussion between Government officials over the lack of accommodation and facilities (including ambulance and fire engine) at Muharraq airfield, in light of the withdrawal of Royal Air Force operations (ff 9-27); the granting of permission for Iraqi Airways aircraft to land at Muharraq, provided they make the necessary arrangements for facilities in agreement with BOAC (ff 37-38); delays in the granting of permission for aircraft operations at Bahrain, due to ‘impending constitutional changes’ in India; an announcement in November 1947 of a weekly service between Baghdad and Bahrain by Iraqi Airways (f 39), and the consequent suspension of the service by the Iraqi Government due to an outbreak of cholera, presumably in Baghdad (f 50); queries over the status of the Manama flying-boat aerodrome, and its designation under articles 10 and 68 of the Chicago Convention (ff 43-44); a BOAC memorandum, dated 22 December 1947, on the state of air services in the Gulf, acknowledging that the only means of securing ‘a share of local traffic would be to establish a local Company in Bahrain to run essentially “dhow traffic” services’ (f 53); a request from Air India International, in July 1948, to make use of the airfield at Muharraq as an emergency landing ground (ff 60-63).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (67 folios)
- Arrangement
The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 64-68) mirror the chronological arrangement.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-62; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘File 13/22 India – Persian Gulf Air Route. India – U.K. Air Route’ [3r] (5/138), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/527, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024390701.0x000006> [accessed 10 May 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/527
- Title
- ‘File 13/22 India – Persian Gulf Air Route. India – U.K. Air Route’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:23v, 25r:25v, 27r:38v, 40r:46v, 49r:49v, 51r:51v, 54r:54v, 57r:57v, 59r:68v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence