IOR/L/PS/12/2048

The file contains papers related to an Air Transit Agreement being negotiated between the United Kingdom (UK) and France to enable scheduled military aircraft to fly over, and land at airfields within, each other's territories. A number of drafts of this agreement can be found throughout the file; some of these copies contain French language content. A great deal of correspondence in the file concerns airfields in territories not under direct British political control (e.g. Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, and Sharjah), independent states (Muscat and Oman), and states becoming independent dominions of the Commonwealth (India and Pakistan). Much correspondence discusses if and how these governments should be approached for consent for French aircraft to utilise their territory: in particular, whether France should make a direct request to the Government of India for transit rights or make an application via the British Government.

The file also covers proposals for the servicing of French aircraft in India by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) following the withdrawal of Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in India.

The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office (Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947), and officials from the British Embassy to France.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.