Today, life in the Emirates moves in the fast lane. In a regular series to mark the 50th anniversary of the UAE, we take a little trip back in time to see how much the country has changed.
With oil drums marking the runway and a converted Land Rover for a fire engine, arriving in Abu Dhabi was a very different experience decades ago.
The older photograph, from 1965, shows part of the city’s first airfield. The building is a small control point in which a clerk checked documents, weighed cargo and talked on the radio with incoming pilots. Just out of shot is the sabkha, or salt flat, runway.
The airfield was built in the mid-Fifties and there was no radar. Flights operated visually and pilots had to check the strip was clear before landing or taking off. It was built to support oil exploration by Abu Dhabi Marine Areas. There was another airstrip, on Das Island, which was the main operations base.
As the Dove skimmed down the coast over the clear waters and breaking waves onto the deserted beaches west of the town, it was possible to pick out the dark shapes of sharks or rays patrolling the turquoise shallows
Michael Stokes
De Havilland Doves and Douglas DC-3s were the most common aircraft.
“As the Dove skimmed down the coast over the clear waters and breaking waves on to the deserted beaches west of the town, it was possible to pick out the dark shapes of sharks or rays patrolling the turquoise shallows,” said Michael Stokes, who accompanied his pilot father on many of these flights into Abu Dhabi.
“If we were fortunate, we might disturb a migrating flock of pink flamingos, who would spread out in their enormous formation so we looked down on them from above to see a pink shape silhouetted against the turquoise,” he said.
“Approaching the island, the coast was only interrupted by the darker shapes of the town emerging from the beach.”
For the small but fast-growing community here at the time, the daily arrivals were something of a social occasion. “Everyone used to go up to the landing strip,” said David Riley, a UK resident who lived here in the 1960s. “There’d be mail on it, newspapers, food and you’d see who was coming in because there was a constant stream of businesspeople.”
By the late 1960s it was clear a new airport was needed. The strip could become waterlogged and night flights were largely impossible. It also could not cope with the influx of people arriving on the back of the oil boom.
Al Bateen Airport, close to the Maqta Bridge, opened a few years after the older photograph was taken. It had a striking modern concrete terminal and gave its name to Airport Road (now Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street), which for many years was the only motorway out of the city.
But even Al Bateen couldn’t cope with the surge of executives, oilmen and others flying into the fast-expanding city. Something had to be done.
Abu Dhabi International opened on January 1, 1982. The airport, designed by famed French architect Paul Andreu, championed travel. The distances between gates were short. Planes stopped around circular satellites so they could fill up and leave quickly. Its main terminal – now Terminal 1 – was an architectural beauty with a stunning mosaic ceiling, reminiscent of a palm tree, that is covered in lime-green and blue tiles.
Abu Dhabi Airport has since been expanded, while the UAE’s national airline – Etihad – was launched in 2003.
The old control building, meanwhile, is still standing today in the grounds of the Abu Dhabi Media building in the city – off Sultan bin Zayed the First (Muroor Road) and 17th Street today. It is being preserved for future generations and is a reminder of the dizzying journey the emirate has been on since those early years.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
