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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1106.PDF
ISTANBUL < 218 BEIRUT CENTRE OF MIDDLE EAST AIR TRANSPORT BENGHAZI KAMESHLI MOSULO TRIPOLI «"* CAIRC TUNIS "5> LUXORC By JOHN STROUD FORT LAMY KANO COTONOU ACCRA >TEHERAN BAGHDAD 3ABADAN FLIGHT OSHARJAH ABU DHABI BERBERA. HARGEISA MOGADISHU. NAIROBI' U-A.T. Douglas DC-6A and a Saudi Arabian Airlines DC-3 at Beirut international Airport. The DC-6A was bound for Karachi, Saigon and Hongkong on the joint U.A.T.-Air Vietnam Paris to Hongkong service. The DC-3 was operating the Medina service. BEIRUT has established itself during the last few years asone of the most important centres of air communicationin the Middle East. It is the focal point of an extensive network of air services operated by the airlines of the Arab States, and an increasing number of long-haul international carriers are serving it. The latest addition to the long-haul operators to include the Lebanon in their route-pattern is Air-India International, and It was an invitation to fly on this carrier's inaugural service from London to Bombay via Diisseldorf, Zurich and Beirut which gave me an opportunity of seeing something, albeit too little, of air transport operations in the Middle East area. Over two dozen scheduled operators fly into or through Beirut. The long-haul operators include Air France, Air-India Interna- tional, B.O.A.C., K.L.M., Pan American World Airways, Qantas Empire Airways, Sabena, S.A.S. and U.A.T. Swissair and J.A.T. have terminating services, Sageta flies its Armagnacs through there on the Toulouse-to-Saigon run and Air Vietnam has a service through Beirut in conjunction with U.A.T. B.E.A. Vis- counts operate two flights a week from Nicosia to Beirut on behalf of Cyprus Airways. The recent rapid development of oil resources in Arabia has brought about rapid expansion of the local airlines and traffic has increased enormously. The founding of Mideast Aircraft Service Co. (MASCO) by B.O.A.C. and Hunting-Clan Air Transport and the acquisition by B.O.A.C. of the controlling interest in Middle East Airlines give some indication of future trends. B.O.A.C. is firmly established in the area and its position is rapidly being made even more secure. Apart from controlling The routes of the 11 Middle East airlines, which may form a unified network on the lines pioneered by Scandinavia. Key: AD, Aden Airways; AJ, Air Jordan; AL, Air Liban; AR, Arab Airways; G, Gulf Aviation; IR, Iraqi Airways; KA, Kuwait Airways; ME, Middle East Airlines; MS, Misrair; SA, Saudi Arabian Airlines; SR, Syrian Airways. Note: Kuwait Airways operate a service from Kuwait to Cairo, the exact routing of which is not known, and which is not, therefore, included on this diagram. Middle East Airlines, the Corporation owns Aden Airways, whichin turn has Arab Airways as its associate; B.O.A.C. has an interest in Cyprus Airways; Gulf Aviation is a Corporation subsidiaryand both Kuwait Airways and Iraqi Airways are associates. For some time most of the Middle East operations have beencarried out with DC-3s and Vikings, although Saudi Arabian Airlines has some Convair CV-340s, DC-4s and Bristol 170s, andboth Misrair and Air Liban have used Languedocs. Recently Air Liban, in which Air France has an interest, acquired twoDC-4s, and this appears to have triggered off some fleet com- petition; from the beginning of July Middle East Airlines hasput two Hermes 4s, flown by Skyways crews, on to the routes which are common to M.E.A. and Air Liban and on which AirLiban is using DC-4s. It seems that the four-engined DC-4s were attracting traffic from the DC-3s and now the M.E.A. hopeis that the faster and pressurized Hermes will prove more attractive than the DC-4s. In that area, where turbulence can be expectedfor long periods and up to considerable heights, the advantages of pressurized aircraft are obvious. Kuwait Airways is also usinga Hermes on its routes from Kuwait to Beirut and Cairo. Both Misrair and Iraqi Airways have Viscounts on order and Beirut scene: An Air Liban DC-3 is taxying out on departure for Jerusalem, with Saudi Arabian Airlines DC-3 in foreground. In the background are a Persian Air Services York and Arabian Desert Air- lines Fiat G.212. Beyond the aircraft is the north-to-south runway.
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