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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [‎36r] (71/1088)

The record is made up of 1 file (542 folios). It was created in 13 Sep 1932-19 Dec 1945. 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. .

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- 3 -
/ ,
order to determine how best to ensure that they stand up to loads of* the order
of 67 ,000 lbs, per wheel group at tyre pressures of up to 80 lbs. per square
inch.
Priority - urgent, as it is essential to know ~ the result of these tests
before runway extensions are commenced.
z-s (vi) Runway width - "7iden the main and the N-S subsidiary runway to 300
and 250 ft. respectively.
Priority - non-urgent
(vii) Ligh ting - Install R.A.P. (modified) contact lighting along the
edges of the existing North-South and IIS-S’.V runwa^rs and. at a. later stage a.long
the other two runways.
Priority - urgent. Note: The necessary light fittings are already on
their way to Egypt.
(viii) A ctivity
(a) Misr Flying Club and School acitivities to be transferred to
Dokki.
(b) Everything possible to be done to assist the Royal Egyptian
Air Force to obtain the use of He Iowan or some other R.A.F.
airfield.
Priority - Both (a) and (b) are urgent, as B.O.A.C. forks and R.A.F.
Transport Command Dakotas will very shortly be using the airport in increasing
numbers - and they do not mix well in the air or on the ground with ,, Moths ,, .
(i-) Buildings - Siting of the nc r w terminal building to be reviewed in
relation to possible changes in the runway layout and to possible imp^rovements
in the road connections to Cairo, always remembering that the best site for
them is as near as possible to the centre point of the primary runwa~.
Priority - only urgent in so far as the date of completion of building
plans is approaching and modifications to them might possibly have to be made
to suit them to any altero-tion to the layout decided upon.
( : 0 T raffi c control - Responsibility for control of Almaza traffic is
understood to be vested in tne Egyptian Government, d/hen tho Transport Command
Squadron moves in, the R.A.F. Flying Control staff posted to Almaza will
If safety of flying operations in the Cairo vicinity is to be assured, it
must'be understood that it is not just effective control" of Almaza traffic that
is needed but rather co-ordination of the flow of traffic to and from Almaza
with the flow in and out of both Heliopolis and Payne Field. For the time being
it is considered that this responsibility cannot be shouldered by any authority
except by the R.A.F., although, in due course, it may have to be handed over
to tue .Egyptians, but preferably not until we have succeeded in persuadiny them
to employ a British Chief Control Officer, just as they have a British
Aerodrome Adviser (Mr. Savage),
9. Conclusi on_
A3jnaza is not a first class site for an international airport. Further
more, it has been somewhat spoilt by mushroom building growth round the
perimeter, some ox which it has, unfortunately, been beyond the power of the
Egyptian Director of Civil Aviation to prevent.
None 01 Lie other existing airfields in the neighbourhood reveals better
promise tnan Almaza, although Payne Field and Cairo '.Test may orove very useful
at times for emergency use. ^ w
/Unless
C. 108092.
t t #

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Content

The file contains correspondence related to negotiations surrounding the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934) between the British Government and the Government of Bahrain, along with subsequent amendments and renewals, and issues arising from the implementation of the agreement. Occasional reference is made to similar agreements with Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah. It also covers the preliminary negotiations in 1933 between Imperial Airways and the Government of Bahrain, and the file contains three draft versions of this agreement: see folios 489-495, 516-518, and 533-539. The latter negotiations are superseded by negotiations for the Civil Air Agreement, following a decision to standardise civil aviation procedures across the Arab Shaikhdoms.

Issues related to Muharraq Aerodrome and the Manama Flying Boat base are also covered in the file, which includes the application of a legal definition of an aerodrome to Bahrain, and efforts to define the geographical extent of these air bases. This includes negotiations with the Government of Bahrain for the purchase of additional land round the Muharraq Airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the extension of facilities such as the pier at Manama. A sketch map produced by the Government of Bahrain in 1944 can be found on folio 133 in relation to a proposal from the British Government to acquire an area – referred to as area 'C' – adjacent to the Muharraq Aerodrome for the RAF.

A map can be found on folio 245 showing the approaches to Bahrain harbour, which is included as a result of negotiations to establish a flying boat service through Bahrain in 1937.

The Arabic language content is limited to a copy of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934), which contains both Arabic and English translations (see folios 332-348), and a few items of additional correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].

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. (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Hugh Weightman, and Charles Geoffrey Prior), 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, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials 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. . Occasional reference is made to the Government of Bahrain via Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.

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 (542 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 for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 543; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [‎36r] (71/1088), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1972, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054514174.0x00004a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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