The role of Africa in the perception of the airspace of North and South America from British geopolitical considerations (1919–1939)

Abstract

Although the British Empire had never been interested in to conquer the northern and southern American airspace until the 1930’s, the British company Handly Page already had developed a plan in 1919 to operate airmail service between Great Britain and South America. The plans were rejected from time to time because due to the lack of financial background and serious governmental intention. The colonies of the Empire were positioned along an East–West axis – with the exception of South Africa. The principal project was the development of an air route system from London to India and further to Australia. Also the government tried to reach South Africa using the Western coast of the African continent across colonial Gambia. British
Gambia was the only African possibility to connect via an air route to Brazil and Argentina across the Southern Atlantic as German and French examples showed. Finally, the government decided to build the South African air route from London to Cape Town across Cairo. This meant the end of the British plans through the South Atlantic region. The other solution was to cooperate with the US and operate the air mail system using the North Atlantic air routes from London to New York and then to the Bermudas. Further plans were to reach the airspace of South America from the Bermudas. However, all these attempts failed. The British Empire never took part seriously in the race for the airspace of South America.