How was traveling to Dubai in the past?

Sweaty officers stamped passports by hand, and only nine companies operated at the airport, linking Dubai to 20 destinations. In the 1980s, there were 64 destinations and 31 companies, one of which was actually Gulf Air, founded by Freddie Bosworth, the English pilot who worked on opening the airport.

In the 2000s, when the emirate was already a major tourism and business hub, 118 companies were serving 202 destinations and about 40 million passengers. It was almost double the originally planned capacity.

When Briton Len Chapman arrived to work in the city in 1971, he did not imagine that he would spend 30 years there and witness its transformation, beginning with independence and the end of the Trucial States. Months later, he saw the British leave for good and witnessed the creation of the United Arab Emirates.

“There was no minimum service at the airport, because there was no need for it. The flights were irregular and carried only a few passengers, who got off and crossed the runway to the terminal,” recalls and confirms Chapman, who today lives retired in Australia. A website dedicated to showcasing Dubai from the distant past.

“A lone immigration officer stamped passports behind an old wooden table. The process took minutes. Passengers could visit two stores, then exit into a 500-space parking lot to find a taxi, which was not air-conditioned.”