Want to know what Dubai’s first airport looked like in 1959? Wander across to the Media Prima Stand in the west hall and find out.

The company is displaying a 1:75 scale model of Dubai’s original airport that has been commissioned to mark the launch of a book on the seven-decade history of civil aviation in the emirate. Lara Marrouchi, managing director of Media Prima, says: “Apart from a handful of photographs there is little to remind us of the foundation of aviation industry in Dubai. The 1959 airport was the starting point of a journey that leads to today’s extraordinary development here.”

With no plans or designs to work from model makers had to use the archives of the Public Records Office in London, BOAC records from the British Airways Museum, documents from Syrian Arab Airlines and Iran Air and anecdotal evidence

Early carriers using the airport were Gulf Air’s predecessor Gulf Aviation, Middle East Airlines and Syrian Arab Airlines. The original airport served Dubai well until the emirate’s Open Skies policy saw growing demand for air travel. The airport was then redeveloped to cope with the demand.

Source: Flight Daily News

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