Airlines like Emirates and Etihad are often said to have inspired a second golden age of air travel with new standards of passenger comfort.
But what of the original “golden age”, when flying meant wearing your best clothes, enjoying a three-course meal and perhaps relaxing with a fine cigar?
This was the 1950s and ‘60s, when long-distance travel to exotic destinations was for the privileged few, and before budget airlines brought flying to the masses.
The fog of cigarette smoke aside, the first passenger jets of the 1950s and ‘60s could be incredibly noisy by today’s standards – and there were no noise-cancelling headphones – or any in-flight entertainment of any kind
It was the age of glamorous stewardesses and dashing pilots. An age where new jet aircraft brought places that were once weeks away by ship to just a few hours in a pressurised cabin.
It transformed travel in the Arabian Gulf, once just a refuelling stop for the old propeller-driven giants of Imperial Airways on their way to India and Australia, but now a destination of its own right, thanks to oil revenues that drove a surge of investment and capital in the region.
By the 1960s places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai had built airports and runways capable of handling the biggest long-haul passenger aircraft, and airlines competed to win their slice of this valuable traffic.
To the established kings of the air like TWA, BOAC and Air France came a new challenge as new airlines in the region set out to create their own distinct national style.
Gulf Aviation had been formed by Freddie Bosworth, a former Royal Air Force pilot, in 1949. Flying small twin-engine propeller aircraft like the de Havilland Dove, it operated out of Bahrain with charters for the oil industry and short haul hops within the Arabian Gulf.
In 1973, control of the airline passed to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar after their rulers bought out a large stake previously owned by BOAC.
Rebranded Gulf Air, it became the national flag carrier for the four countries, expanding routes to Europe, Asia and the Far East with the new Lockheed Tri-Star and Boeing 737 jets.
Billing itself as “the world’s five-star airline”, Gulf Air offered new standards of luxury on its “Golden Falcon” service, with restaurant-style dining at tables for four, sumptuously decorated cabins and even on-board telephones.
Its biggest competitors in the region were Egyptair, which had been flying under various names since 1936, Royal Jordanian, which began to expand international during the 1960s, and Middle East Airlines (MEA).
Founded in 1945, the Beirut-based MEA had several international stakeholders, including Pan-Am, BOAC and Air France. From a handful of short-haul routes, MEA rose to the 16th largest airline by the mid-1960s.
According to Time magazine, “it reported record 1963 revenues of $70 million and earnings of more than $1,000,000, figures that make it the most successful Arab aerial enterprise since the flying carpet.”
The man responsible for this transformation was Najib Alamuddin, otherwise known as the “flying sheikh”, a title that referred to his family’s prominent position in Lebanon’s Druze community.
Born in 1909, Alamuddin was educated at Beirut’s American University, and was determined to stamp a distinct Lebanese identity on the airline, hence the cedar tree emblazoned on the tail fin of its aircraft.
As chairman of MEA until retiring in 1977, he saw an expansion of routes to prestige destinations such as London and New York, with passengers drawn by Beirut’s reputation as a glamorous playground for the jet-set in the 1960s.
This influx of celebrities, including film stars and royalty, even led the airline to place an order for two Concordes in 1963, with the promise that they would have halved the five-hour journey to Heathrow.
In the end the Concorde order was cancelled in 1973, the result of operational costs and concerns about noise pollution which meant the aircraft was banned from supersonic flight over land.
By then, Lebanon was on the brink of a 15-year civil war that would leave Beirut’s reputation as the Paris of the Middle East literally in ruins.
The mid-70s also saw the end of the first golden age of flying. The hijacking of four international flights by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in September 1970 ended with three empty aircraft being blown up at an airstrip in Jordan.
Those incidents, and many other hijackings in the early 1970s – at one point happening on average once a week – led to the widespread introduction of passenger screening.
At the same time, airline travel was being made available to the masses, with the British entrepreneur Freddie Laker launching his no-frills Laker Air service from London to New York at a third of the price charged by the established airlines.
Faced with this unprecedented challenge, the big flag carriers had little choice but to aggressively price match. Laker was eventually forced into bankruptcy but dozens of other low-cost airlines were soon springing up.
They ushered in a very different experience of flying. Once passengers could stroll up only half an hour before a flight. Now it was two or three hours.
China plates and three-course meals were replaced by plastic containers and the inevitable question “beef or chicken” for all but business and first-class passengers, while non-smoking cabins and eventually an outright ban on cigarettes, cigars and pipes were introduced in the 1970s.
With legroom measured in centimetres and aircraft packed with hundreds of passengers, flying was no longer a question of looking your best, but rather trying to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Yet perhaps the golden age of flying wasn’t quite as glittering as it is sometimes portrayed. The fog of cigarette smoke aside, the first passenger jets of the 1950s and ‘60s could be incredibly noisy by today’s standards – and there were no noise-cancelling headphones – or any in-flight entertainment of any kind.
Flying was also incredibly expensive. The price comparison website Skyscanner has calculated that a flight from London to Sydney, Australia was five times more expensive in the 1960s than today.
It was also dangerous. In the 1960s and 70s, passenger aircraft crashed on average more than once a month, while there were typically 1,500 to 2,000 deaths a year.
In 2019, the last year before the pandemic disrupted air travel, 289 people died in plane crashes, more than half of them on the crash of a single Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-Max.
The current statistics show airlines suffer an accident rate of 1.5 for every million departures. In 1960 the comparable accident rate was 27.2.
The uncomfortable truth is that golden age of flying was also the golden age of dying. But despite the loss of glitz and glamour, aviation has since emerged as once of the safest forms of transport around.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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