Sharjah airport 1973 and Dubai airport today
The film Air Outpost that was filmed in 1973 gives us quite a good picture and information about Sharjah airport and Sharjah city a time when most of the Gulf countries were under the British empire.The population was near 15,000 people, most of them Arabs mixed with Indian and Iranian traders; today the population is around half a million people in those days people travelled by camels and donkeys or on foot to reach their destination. The footage also shows the council that was held in the sheikh’s palace to discuss in matters about the city and the people. We also saw the Gulf pearls and fishing as the main occupation. Sharjah airport was built in the shape of a fort, and was operated/supervised by British personnel. The aere plane Hanno H.P.42, was built by Handley Page in England for Imperial Airways, This aero plane had an amazing safety record, with no fatalities in civilian service. The plane used for 5 destinations, Alexandria, Baghdad, Sharjah, India and Australia. It will take 4 days to reach Sharjah with 2 previous stops Alexandria then Baghdad, Arab merchants were seen handing over a cargo of pearls which before air travel would have travelled overland or by sea to its Indian destination. Mechanics are seen working during the night, servicing the plane for its dawn departure towards the east, we also see a weather balloon being released from the roof of the airport's meteorological station to gather information on wind speeds etc.
The other video shows people participating in a commercial for an air liner by dancing to the sound of music in front of travelers with a surprise on their face. The other thing the video shows is the developing that has happened in 30 years in the UAE.
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