Page 126 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol II

Ill

Royal Air Force purposes but also for civil use, but decided that their requirements
at Kuwait did not warrant their undertaking any new commitment there for the
present.(,,J) At the end of 1952 Abdullah al Mubarak while acting as Ruler asked
that urgent steps should be taken for the construction of a new airfield, in which
he was personally interested as the owner of the Mishrif site. The Development
Board did not support his proposal, and the Ruler did not raise the question when
he returned to Kuwait. When a Ministry of Civil Aviation Mission visited Kuwait
in the spring of 1953 they reported that Hasted had told them that it would be at
least five or six years before the expansion of Kuwait town would be likely to
prejudice the safety of the approaches to the existing airfield. He had however
submitted to the Kuwait Government an estimate of £5 million for a new airfield.
The Mission were of opinion that no action should be taken to awaken the question
of a new airfield, and that when the Kuwaitis raised it again an arrangement should
be made whereby Her Majesty’s Government would provide the technical essentials
and the Kuwait Government the amenities including a paved runway. They hoped
that Her Majesty’s Government v/ould then be in a strong position to resist any
demands that operational control of the aerodrome and control of traffic rights
should be relinquished to the Ruler.(,n) It may be noted that the possibility of such
demands was the main argument against asking the Kuwait Government to pay
the cost of a new airfield. Although the Ministry of Civil Aviation saw no great
harm in relinquishing these rights at Kuwait, they feared that should this be done
similar demands might be made elsev/here in the Gulf where they considered it
important to retain them.(414) The position at the end of the period under review
was that the question of a new airfield was dormant, the Kuwait Oil Company was
still with some reluctance maintaining the existing airfield, Her Majesty’s
Government were providing radio facilities and were managing the airfield and the
Kuwait Government were providing limited amenities.
187. From 1949 onwards a number of companies proposed to establish a
local airline at Kuwait with or without Kuwaiti participation.C11) Most of these
projects came to nothing. In 1951 Bosworth (chapter 2, paragraph 126) formed in
London a Gulf Aviation (Kuwait) Company in which his Bahrain company held
51 per cent, of the shares and two Kuwaiti merchants the remainder. Bosworth
was killed shortly after and the company never functioned. In 1952 Izzat Jaafar
(paragraph 12 above) proposed to start a Kuwaiti air line probably with American
participation, but subsequently appears to have lost interest in the idea.C16) The
proposal however made Her Majesty’s Government anxious to ensure that if any
local line were formed there should be British participation in it. In April 1953
Skyways Limited took over for a nominal sum the interest which the British
Overseas Airways Corporation had acquired in Gulf Aviation (Kuwait) with a view
to establishing a local air line,(1lT) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation Mission after its
visit to Kuwait recommended that this project should be encouraged. The British
Overseas Airways Corporation unexpectedly decided to try to form a local air line
themselves and entered into negotiations with Kuwaiti merchants^41") At the same
time Abdullah al Mubarak was reported to be in touch with an American company,
and a British firm to be negotiating with Lebanese interests with a similar object in
view. Meanwhile an aviation company was floated in Kuwait by the principal
merchants and considerable capital was subscribed. This company negotiated with
both the British Overseas Airways Corporation and Skyways, Limited and decided
to associate itself with the former, and in September the Ruler informed the Political
Agent in writing of the formation in this manner of the “ Kuwait National Airline,
Limited ” and asked him to obtain the agreement of the Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and
Bahrain to the landing of the company’s aircraft in their territories.(,,H) By the end
of 1953 the agreement between the Kuwaiti company and the British Overseas
Airways Corporation had not been signed. It appeared that all the capital for the
airlines was to be provided by the Kuwaitis and that the British Overseas Airways
Corporation were to be given a contract for one year only in the first place, their
(4,s) F.O. to P.R. Despatch 88 of June 5. 1952 (GA 57/29 G of 1952).
£ ) M.C.A. to F.O. SG 60/16/02 of July 16. 1953 (GA 105/16 of 1953).
( ) F.O. to P.R. GA 91/3 of February 9. 1953.
(">) (GA 59/45 of 1951.)
f-R- to f-O. 13817/25/52 of November 7. 1952 (GA 57/47 of 1952).
(4'T) (GA 91/51 of 1953.)
P R-to F.O. 13815/8/53 of May 15. 1953 (GA91/28 of 1953).
( ) Tel. from Kuwait to F.O. 271 of September 21. 1953 (GA 91 /59 of 1953).
46639
Q