Civil aviation in Gulf area, including Concorde trials

This file concerns civil aviation in the Gulf, in particular commercial matters. It contains correspondence relating to:

• British Airways (BA)’s plans to conduct training exercises in the Gulf, security concerns around this, and a survey of the region’s suitability
• The buyout of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) stake in Gulf Aviation Company Limited by the governments of Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Oman; creating Gulf Air
• Gulf Air’s request for fuel stocks in Britain
• The affairs of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC)
• British Aircraft Corporation (BAC)’s trials of supersonic Concorde aircraft in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and elsewhere; and discussions of the proposed Concorde flight routes from London to Sydney, with a map
• Sales of Lockheed Corporation aircraft to the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, and Syria
• The hope of selling a Concorde to the Ruler of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani
• Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s concerns about the Concorde overflight route and the effects of the sonic boom
• Competition between Cable and Wireless, International Aeradio Limited, and Airwork Services Limited for civil aviation contracts in Qatar, and the effect of this on Britain’s commercial standing in the sector
• Competition with France for civil aviation contracts in the Gulf
• The question of granting Biman Bangladesh Airlines traffic rights through Dubai
• Questions of airport security in the wake of the hijacking of a BA flight in Beirut in March 1974
• The proposed creation of a civil aviation training establishment in the Gulf, and the transition from expatriate to local responsibility for the industry
• Reports that Abu Dhabi is planning to establish its own national airline