History of Civil Aviation in Dubai

United Arab Emirates2014Draft

The history of civil aviation in Dubai goes back to the 1930s, when the late Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum, then Ruler of Dubai, signed the "Dubai Commercial Air Agreement" in July 1937 with Captain Hickinbotham, the British Government's Political Agent, who was resident in Bahrain. This agreement is the cornerstone of the "open skies" policy that the Government of Dubai applies today. What distinguishes it is that it places no restriction on the number of flights and so adopts a liberal framework for air transport rights, and it is regarded as an "open skies" agreement for commercial civil aviation. Since then the civil aviation industry has continued to grow until it has become one of the best aviation industries in the world. Credit goes to the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum for building the infrastructure that supports commercial aviation in Dubai. On 10 September 1959 Sheikh Rashid inaugurated an airport to serve the emirate, another landmark in the history of civil aviation in Dubai, and the airport was officially declared in operation on 30 September 1960. In 1966 Sheikh Rashid issued a decree forming the Dubai International Airport Committee, and on 18 March 1971 another establishing the Department of Civil Aviation. As regards international conventions, he asked the British Political Agent to take responsibility for civil aviation under the International Civil Aviation Convention signed in Chicago. Size: 35 x 60 mm.