On October 7, 1932, the pilot of Imperial Airways’ inaugural flight from London’s Croydon Airport to the Middle East set down his Handley Page HP42 aircraft on a sandy airstrip in Sharjah, a little-known enclave on the edge of the Persian Gulf. With that act, the Middle East’s aviation industry was born.
“That flight made history, not only for BA but for the UAE as well,” said Laila Ali Bin Hareb, executive director of strategy and international affairs at Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority, at a press conference in Dubai to celebrate the milestone.
“It marked the beginning of aviation in the UAE. Since then, there has been a huge jump in the aviation industry in the UAE, and today we are committed to aviation.”
Imperial, now British Airways, has also come a long way in the 80 years it has been flying to the region. The British flag carrier operates 68 flights per week to eight cities in the Gulf during its winter schedule, and has recently added Lebanon and Jordan to its network, with flights scheduled to commence at the end of October.
BA chairman Sir Martin Broughton said the arrival of the airline’s first Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in 2013, would lead to even greater accessibility to the region.
“Our motto is 'To Fly. To Serve' and this is what we strive to continue to do,” he said. “We are proud to have served the region for 80 years and we look forward to serving you moving forward.”
Passengers on the inaugural flight in 1932 spent the night enjoying the hospitality of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qassimi, ruler of Sharjah, who made his guests comfortable in tents strewn with carpets and cushions, all under the watchful eye of officers from his personal guard.
The GBP 84 (US $135) one-way ticket price included all accommodation and food for the duration of the six-day journey. Two cabins with a total of 18 seats provided guests with an atmosphere similar to a London gentleman’s club at the time, with leather armchairs, sumptuous furnishings and meals served on fine china crockery.
Although passengers were a valuable commodity for the fledgling airline, the most important cargo was mail, and occasionally shipments of precious stones and pearls sent from traders in the region to markets in Delhi.
The Handley Page HP42 flew at 160 kph if there was no headwind, and once lost a race against the UK’s famous railway locomotive, The Flying Scotsman, in a race from London to Edinburgh.
“Travel was slow but very stately and very comfortable and so the passengers enjoyed it,” said Paul Jarvis, director of the British Airways Museum.
Eighty years on, flying from London to the UAE is slightly less time consuming, with British Airways flights from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dubai and Abu Dhabi taking six and a half hours.
BA is offering Middle East passengers special fares on flights from the region to the UK and North America to celebrate the milestone.
For more details visit www.britishairways.com
