Travel in a Flying Boat was luxurious - but slow!
"Getting up out of his chair, a passenger could walk about and stroll along to the smoking cabin for a smoke, stopping at the promenade deck with its high handrail and windows at eye level to gaze at the sky outside."
Passengers experienced interiors so spacious a game of mini golf or quoits was not out of the question. Cabins could also be converted into sleeping accommodation at night.
Airplanes have been landing at Dubai since the 1950s.
Dubai built an Airport and Terminal in 1959 to service this growing traffic.
This was located in Al Ghusais and regarded as Dubai's first Airport.
But Dubai had another Airport long before Al Ghusais Airport was built.
From 1935 to 1947 Dubai Creek served as Dubai's Airport!
There were few international airports back then. Flying Boat Aircraft had an advantage over land based Aircraft as they could land anywhere there was sufficient water whether it was the sea, a river, a lake or, in Dubai's case, a Creek. Developing land based Airports was expensive and difficult back then. British Government wanted to improve communications with its far flung Empire. Developing a Flying Boat Service to link Britain with Australia, New Zealand and all its Colonies in between was their answer.
An Australia to England flight by the Empire Airmail Route involved some 31 refuelling stops, one of which was Dubai Creek. Despite navigational difficulties of flying over open water and top speed of 160mph, these flying boats reduced travel time from England to Australia to (then) an unbelievable ten days, significantly faster and more comfortable than smaller, land-based DH86 biplanes they replaced which flew via Sharjah Airport.
Normal route from Kuwait was direct to Dubai down the Persian Gulf - a distance of 458 n.m. (843 km.). Some 'boats called at Bahrein on their way to Dubai. Distances from Kuwait to Bahrein - 234 n.m. or 430 km. and from Bahrain to Dubai - 261 n.m. or 480 km. Low level flying over the Gulf was hot and bumpy. The alighting area at Dubai was on a reach of Dubai Creek. Charge for alighting and an overnight stay was 5 rupees, with an additional 4 rupees for the night watchman. Passengers and crew were ferried 10 miles (16 km.) from Dubai Creek in two Ford utilities, to sleep overnight at the combined Sharjah Fort and Hotel, complete with its steel entrance door, loopholes for rifles and encircling belt of barbed wire. Departing Dubai, the route was eastwards across the desert, climbing to a safe height of 8,000ft. to cross the mountain range. Sector from Dubai to Karachi direct was flown over the Gulf of Oman, following the southern coast of Persia, to Karachi - a distance of 630 n.m. or 1,160 km. This part of the route was subject to monsoon conditions from June to August with much turbulence and upward convection currents. Tropical storms were also frequent in May and June and again in October and November. From the windows of the promenade cabin (flying eastbound) passengers could see some of the most extraordinary and fantastic rock formations of the Makran coast range of mountains. 'Boats sometimes put down at Jiwani, a fishing village on a sheltered inlet. Sector distance was 377 n.m. or 694 kmSource: "Flying Empires" by Brian Cassidy
BOAC Jetty on Dubai Creek (Deiraside)
From 1937 Imperial Airways operated a weekly service from UK to Pakistan via Dubai Creek.
Following outbreak of World War 2, Singapore's invasion in 1940 brought an end to the Empire Mail Route.
An alternative route was established called the Horseshoe Route whereby overland air routes linked UK, Durban and Cairo to connect with Short Empire Class Flying Boats flying Khartoum, Luxor, Cairo, Kallia (Dead Sea), Habbaniya (Iraq), Basra, Bahrain, Dubai, Jiwani and onto Karachi to link with Qantas Flying Boats flying the eastern route to Australia and New Zealand.
BOAC Flying Boats stopped landing on Dubai Creek in 1947
BOAC Jetty had become a Dubai Landmark
Jetty continued to be known as the "BOAC JETTY"
until its demolition in 1980s