British Airways marks 80th anniversary of Middle East flights

Flying from London to Sharjah would have set you back 84 British pounds 80 years ago — about Dh27,645 today

Sharjah: Imagine if it took you six days and eight stops to fly from London to Sharjah — that was the itinerary 80 years ago when Imperial Airways, the predecessor of British Airways, landed its first flight to the region in Sharjah on October 7, 1932.

It would cost you 84 British pounds for a one-way trip on the Handley Page HP42 aircraft that travelled just 160 kilometres an hour, the airline said on Tuesday at a press conference to mark its 80th anniversary in the Middle East. It was the first airline to fly to the UAE.

Flying from Croydon in South London to Sharjah, the aircraft flew at just 160km at hour.

At each city, passengers would have to disembark to shower or stay overnight, said Jamie Cassidy, area general manager for British Airways. “It was a bit romantic.”

Carrying just 18 passengers, the aircraft weighed 12,700kg and flew a maximum range of 482km — this was when flying was a novelty and an adventure for the rich and royalty.

It mainly transferred cargo of mail as well as pearls from merchants in the UAE to India and the UK, said Paul Jarvis, director of the British Airways Museum.

The flight was advertised as a luxury carrier with wood and leather interiors and two cabins, he added.

The flight departed from London to Paris, then passengers spent two nights on a train to Italy before flying to Athens, Palestine, Baghdad, Basra, Kuwait, Bahrain and finally landing in Sharjah, Jarvis explained.

It had male cabin attendants until the Second World War when female crew was allowed on board as medical assistants, he said, adding that it wasn’t until 1946 when female cabin crew worked on British Airways.

Eighty years later, British Airways now flies from London Heathrow to Dubai on a Boeing 747-400 that takes about six-and-a-half hours, travels at 988 kilometres an hour and can carry 345 passengers.

British Airways was the first airline to ever fly in the UAE back in 1932, making its 80th anniversary celebration in the country a significant one, said Laila Ali Bin Hareb, executive director of strategy and international affairs at the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

The early flights transported government ministers, top civil servants and the rich and famous, including King Edward the eighth to Europe, the millionaire Barbara Hutton and actor Gary Cooper, according to Jarvis.