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Coll 5/18 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Use of landing grounds by foreign aircraft’ [‎409r] (818/1090)

The record is made up of 1 file (544 folios). It was created in 5 Aug 1932-20 Sep 1941. It was written in English and French. 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. .

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1.
P.Z. 320/34,.
LONDON, S. '
22nd January 1934,
%
Dear Bertram,
I write with further reference to your
letter of 27th September, No,248985/33/D.D.C.A,, about the
schedule of agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. charges to be made by Imperial Airways
in respect of the use of aerodromes on the Arab Route by
foreign commercial aircraft. You have had from time to
time copies of the correspondence which has since the date
of your letter passed on this point between us and the
Foreign Office,
2 . I now write to say that in the light of the
correspondence in question and on the understandings
stated in paragraphs 1 & 2 of Foreign Office letter of 12th
January, No.E.7958/11/91, confirmation of which we should
be glad to receive, we are prepared to agree not to press
Imperial Airways to let us have immediately the charges
they propose to make for public commercial transport
aircraft at the Arabian Coast aerodromes, although it will
be necessary to ask them to do so in advance oi any
F.G.L. Bertram Esq., C N3. E.,
Air Ministry,
Gwydyr House,
Whitehall, S-W.1,
opening/

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Content

The file contains correspondence, and related 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. notes, regarding the Arabian Coast air route linking Europe and Asia. In particular, it is concerned with Britain's policy over restricting access to this route to non-British aircraft. It contains applications from the Governments of France, Italy, and the Netherlands for permission for their companies to access this route. These companies being: Air France, Ala Littoria, and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) respectively. The focus of these applications is on obtaining access to landing grounds at Gwadur, Kuwait, Bahrain (Muharraq), Sharjah, and Yas Island. The file contains a record of the British response to these applications, which is largely correspondence between officials over the extent that they can legitimately exclude these companies from the region; there is particular concern over keeping Sharjah aerodrome an exclusively British preserve.

As a result of a policy decision made by the British Government to allow Air France and KLM access to Muharraq and Gwadur (for refuelling and in cases of emergency), the file includes periodic applications from these companies to the Shaikh of Bahrain and the Sultan of Muscat for authorisation to use these aerodromes.

The correspondence dating from the Second World War (1939-1945) largely relates to a reversal of British policy – due to wartime difficulties – which allowed KLM to run regular air services via Bahrain and Sharjah for the duration of the war. It also contains discussion related to an attempt to secure a wartime agreement to facilitate the utilisation of KLM aircraft for war purposes by the British.

The correspondence with the Government of France and with Air France is in French, as is a small proportion of the correspondence with the Government of the Netherlands. Overall, the French language content forms only a small proportion of the material within the file.

The main correspondents are as follows: 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. , 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, 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. and Consul at Muscat. There is also correspondence with officials of the following British Government departments: the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, 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. , and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (External Affairs Department from 1937). Correspondence is frequently forwarded to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (544 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 545; 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 2-544 is also circled, but has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 5/18 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Use of landing grounds by foreign aircraft’ [‎409r] (818/1090), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1964, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100033385822.0x000013> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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