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Coll 5/18 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Use of landing grounds by foreign aircraft’ [‎415r] (830/1090)

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. .

Transcription

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Imperial Airways ltd.
Airway Terminus,
Victoria Station,
London,S.W.l•
9 786/SAI)/JGW. 15tb. September,1933*
Lear Bertram,
I must apologise for the delay in replying to your letter
of the 25th August, reference 260663/33/1.L.0.A., on the
subject of the charges for agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. facilities at Bahrein,
Joweit and Gwadar.
I see from Mr. Laithwaite T s letter that 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.
wish the schedules we prepare to cover aircraft engaged in
public transport, but I am writing to tell you privately that
we should prefer not to be committed to any scale of fees for
public transport services, because of the position vuiicn may
arise vis-a-vis the Lutch and ourselves, if we are successful
on the Australia route, and a Company in which we are
interested operates through the Netherland Indies.
I hope that the luL.M.' or rather the K.U.I.L.M. will be
reasonable in the charges they make for facilities in rhe
Motherland Indies, but we ought to allow for the xact that
they may be rather sore about the failure of their plan to get
their service through to Australia, and they may assess their
charges for assistance to the British aircraft on the
Australian route at an unduly high scale.
It is very important, from our point of view, that we
should not give up in advance such bargaining power as we have.
We hope it will be possible to come to an amicable arrangement
with the Lutch whereby the facilities we provide for tnem can
be set off against the facilities we hope they will provide
for us in the Metherland Indies. But if the fees xor the
Arabian Coast Aerodromes were settled and published now our
position vis-a-vis the Lutch, and of course possibly the French
would be weaker than if these fees were left for special
negotiation with each public transport service as the
necessity arises.
Perhaps/

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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’ [‎415r] (830/1090), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1964, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100033385822.0x00001f> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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