  Here is a registered cover affixed with two of these 12 anna stamps, cancelled CAWNPORE, 29 MAY 48 addressed to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. There is a MONTREAL / CANADA / 5 JUN 48 transit mark on the reverse and a HAMILTON / CANADA / 5 JUN 48 arrival mark on the reverse.
While we have recorded less than ten covers cancelled 29 May 48, this is the only one to have travelled out prior to the 8 June flight. This makes the cover unique and in a category by itself. It is also listed in Prafull Thakkar’s First Day Cover catalogue (2010) as #948.1.0a. Inviting feedback on this and information on covers you may have with this stamp cancelled with a date prior to 8 June 1948.
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In recognition of his achievements, Singhania received numerous honours, including the honorary rank of Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force (1994), the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, and the Padma Bhushan in 2006—one of India’s highest civilian awards. His life stands as a rare blend of industrial leadership and adventurous spirit, inspiring generations to push boundaries both on the ground and in the skies.  Om Shanti.
I recently acquired a fascinating and rare book--Kashmir Princess by A.S. Karnik, published in 1958 by Jaico Publishing House, Bombay (without ISBN number).  The book recounts the tragic mid-air explosion of 11 April 1955 involving an Air-India International Lockheed Constellation (L-749A, VT-DEP). What makes this account especially compelling is that Karnik himself was a Ground Engineer with Air-India International and was on board the aircraft at the time of the incident. His first-hand narrative brings an immediacy and authenticity that is both gripping and deeply unsettling.
Beyond the dramatic survival story, the circumstances surrounding the explosion add a layer of intrigue and geopolitical complexity, making the event as diabolical as it is historically significant. While a concise overview of the incident can be found online, this book offers a far richer and more personal perspective. It is certainly a worthwhile read—if you are fortunate enough to find a copy. India’s First International Air Service Commemorated The year 1948 marked a defining moment in the history of Indian civil aviation. Following independence in August 1947, India sought to establish its own international air links and strengthen its global presence. This ambition was realized with the inauguration of the first overseas service of Air-India International.
To commemorate this milestone, the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a 12 annas postage stamp (Fig.1) on the same day. The design depicts the Lockheed Constellation in flight with the inscription “Air-India International – First Flight – 8th June 1948.” The stamp reflects the optimism of a newly independent nation and marks the beginning of regular international airmail services operated by an Indian airline and the postal instruction was very clear that this stamp was meant to be used on only on 8 June 1948 and only on the inaugural Bombay-London service. For aerophilatelists, this issue is particularly important. Covers carried on the inaugural Bombay–London flight, often bearing commemorative cachets, represent the earliest examples of international airmail transported by India’s national carrier and are highly valued in postal history collections. The French India “Chidambaram Temple” Stamp Interestingly, the same date—8 June 1948—is associated with another remarkable stamp connected with the Indian subcontinent. This stamp was prepared under the French colonial administration of French India, which then governed the settlements of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahé, and Chandernagore.
Unique Philatelic Connection
On 8 June 1948, by remarkable coincidence two postal administrations connected with the Indian subcontinent produced stamps featuring aircraft. The Indian issue commemorated the inaugural international service of Air-India International, marking India’s entry into global aviation. The French India stamp depicted the Chidambaram Temple with an aircraft flying over it. Sharing the same date and aviation theme, the two stamps form an interesting philatelic link between the rise of India’s international aviation and the final phase of colonial postal administration in the region. Acknowledgement: Thanks are due to Mr. Chaitanya Dev, Past President of the Karnataka Philatelic Society, for providing valuable information on the French India stamp. Air-India International London-Bombay First Return Flight (Cairo-Bombay stage) on 12 June 1948
About 65,000 postal articles are believed to have been carried on the first Bombay-Cairo-Geneva-London service of Air-India International which left Bombay on 8 June 1948. Just a few examples of mail carried on the London-Bombay and Geneva-Bombay return leg are known. My own estimate is less than 100 covers from London (largely comprised of Jal Cooper prepared covers and red Air-India International souvenir covers) and less than 50 from Geneva (largely registered mail covers) were carried on the return flight. Less than 50 unregistered mail is thought to have been left behind at Geneva and travelled by the second service a week later. However, I have yet to come across a single example of a cover which was carried on the first return flight from Cairo with a high degree of certainty. After more than 15 years of searching, I have come across this cover which I believe is the first or second recorded piece, depending on how much you agree with the other example mentioned at the end of this article. Since there is no Indian postal cancellation or delivery mark after return to India, I cannot declare this to be as such unless I open this to scrutiny and debate with other collectors. The purpose of this article therefore is to seek feedback and comments from other collectors. Please also share images of covers you have that you believe to have made it on the return flight from Cairo with me. Examples of London-Bombay and Geneva-Bombay as well as images of the other cover suspected to have flown Cairo-Bombay on 12 https://www.indianairmails.com/return-flight-covers.html or by scanning this QR code.
Why do I think this one is any different from other mail sent to Cairo on the 8 June flight.
 Fig.7 I welcome feedback, comments and images other collectors want to share with me on this topic. Please write to me at [email protected].
An Air-India beer coaster sent by post from Nairobi
Much has been written about the airline's innovative beer coasters. Creative and humorous design was incorporated in their beer coasters used for in-flight drinks service. Right from the late 1950s onwards, the airline came up with over 300 different designs. Passengers loved them so much that they often took them home with them, and Air India beer coasters have become a collectible item in their own right. (Click here for images of other beer coasters of Air-India)
Here we have something I have never seen before. This passenger took a liking to a beer coaster and used it much as we would use picture postcards in those days. He affixed a postage stamp and an airmail label on it and posted it in Nairobi to an addressed it to Germany with a message in German which roughly translates to ‘We will see each other again on 31 July 1962’. A set of airmail stamps issued in Switzerland valid for one day only. I keep popularising the Air-India International 12a stamp issued for use on 8 June 1948 as something unique in world postal history. One of the upsides of doing this is that I get to hear of other similar stories from other countries. I had posted one about a Suriname stamp in my blog on 3 July 2023.
More recently, Bob Medland sent me this article he and Charles Lablonde wrote about a Swiss set of airmail stamps with very interesting attributes as well. Bob is secretary of the Postage Due Mail Study Group (PDMSG) and an ardent collector of Swiss mail. He was also kind enough to grant permission for me to reproduce his article on our blog.
Click here to read and enjoy the full article.
(Courtesy: Bob Medland) Postage stamp issued to celebrate the first KLM flight from Paramaribo and Amsterdam.  It is well known that the postal authorities of India had issued a special stamp for the Air-India Bombay-London flight on 8 June 1948. All the more, they decided that this would be printed in limited quantities, and be valid only for use on the day of the flight, and that too, only on mail to be flown on that flight. So far we thought that this was a unique event in world philately, and never repeated since.  'We were wrong! A keen philatelist pointed out to us that one other country, Suriname, had issued a postage stamp on 23 May 1949 to celebrate the first flight from Paramaribo and Amsterdam by KLM. Just like the Air-India International issue, this stamp was also valid for use on this flight only. An interesting stamp with value 27½¢ Women of Netherlands was issued May 10, 1949, for the KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) inaugural DC-6 flight from Paramaribo to Amsterdam and the stamp was only valid on mail carried on that May 23, 1949, flight. Suriname is located on the northern coast of South America and is a former Dutch colony. One of the smallest countries in South America, its population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the region. Suriname's economy is dependent on its extensive supply of natural resources, most notably bauxite, of which it is one of the top producers in the world. The southern four-fifths of the country is almost entirely covered with pristine tropical rainforest. It has a population of approximately 612,985. Most of the people live by the country's (north) coast, in and around its capital and largest city, Paramaribo. the some of the postaly used examples of the Suriname stamp are displayed below,
First Flight cover with the 27½ c stamp used on 23 May 1949 with the first flight cachet in violet.
Return post card with both halves intact used on the Amsterdam-Paramaribo stage on 20 May 1949 and the return stage on 23 May 1949.
The first Mini to fly 5,500 miles on Air-India International in 1959 Jordi Batlle Suñé is an aviation enthusiast based in Barcelona, and is just as passionate about Morris Mini Minors. He visited our website while researching information on a blog post combining his twin passions. He contacted us seeking information on the London-Calcutta Air-India International flight. Upon receiving his email, we provided him a scanned copy of the September 1959 timetable.  About Jordi Batlle, He is an IT professional who works in the aviation industry. He really love aviation and Mini, and started a blog to talk about these two topics. Please feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn if you want to discuss aviation or the automotive industry. Now with all his research completed, he has published well-narrated story as a blog post - 'The First Flight of a Mini and has given us permission to reproduce the same on our website, Here is the complete version of the article. Please read and enjoy. THE FIRST FLIGHT OF A MINI by Jordi Batlle  Although for me, all articles are special, today's is a little more. A few months ago, my friend and fellow fighter at TheComminity Fernando gave me a photo. In it, a Mini Mk1 could be seen entering what looked like an airplane hold. It should be noted that when Fernando gives away photos, they have a high probability of having something special. In addition, they will always be original vintage photographs, they will never be reprints. In this case, it is enough to turn the graphic document over to see that it is the original photograph that was sent to the press in September 1959 reporting the following:  Newspaper clipping of September 12, 1959 A Morris Mini-Minor being loaded into an Air-India International aircraft at London Airport after a request had been received from Hindustan Motors Ltd., for one to be sent as soon as possible. Space was reserved in the first available aircraft, which was scheduled to arrive in Calcutta within 60 hours of leaving London, and the new BMW model made its first flight. As you can see, valuable information can be extracted at the bottom of the small newspaper clipping:
Tata airlines Air India has not always been the trade name of the country's airline. In its beginnings, back in 1932, Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, known as JRD Tata, founded Tata Airlines. The businessman, a member of the Tata family, also founded other companies such as Tata Motors or TCS (Tata Consultancy Services). It is not until after the independence of India when the country's government enters the shareholding with 49% of the shares, including a 2% purchase clause that it needed to command the company. Clause that they would execute at the first exchange to control the airline. By then the name was changed and it was called Air India , a name that it still retains today. Air India – International flights The first international flight of the flag company was a Bombay – London, which it covered with a Lockheed Constellation L-749A making stops in Cairo and Geneva. The first Constellation that Air India had, called the Malabar Princess and with the registration VT-CQP, ended up in an accident at Montblanc in 1950. Already in 1954 they began to receive their first Super Constellations, and this is where our story begins to get interesting, because it was not until 1960 that Air India entered the so-called Jet Era, so we now know which model of plane transported the first mini to india We continue to investigate. Searching the internet I saw that the Super Constellation had some variants, which included or not the side loading door. Obviously the device I was looking for was one of those with the side opening, so I kept looking.  Lockheed Super Constellation with cargo side door – Photo: Air India Collector I wanted to pull the thread a little further along that line and got in touch with probably the group of people who know the most about Air India today. The Air India Collector website , led by Piyush Khaitan and Dharmdev Maurya, is perhaps the corner of the internet with the most information about Air India, but also about the history of aviation in that country. They guided me with times and frequencies of the London-Calcutta service at that time, to discover that the flight had to leave London on September 9, 1959, with the Mini well loaded in its hold. The flight number was AI104 and it would arrive in Calcutta the next day, and not at 60 hours as the newspaper said.  Air India timetable report en route to the Far East, courtesy of Air India Collector As a curiosity, flight AI104 today connects the airports of Washington and Delhi. Unfortunately it is not related to London. We already know what plane and even the flight number we need to know who it was for and why so much haste. The only thing we know is that it was a request from Hindustan Motors, so yours will be to know the car company first. Who was that Mini for? Hindustan Motors Ltd, founded in 1942 by BM Birla with the collaboration of William Morris, very soon began to manufacture its own versions of English models, such as the Hindustan 10 (inspired by the Morris Ten).
It was said that, as with Enzo Ferrari and Sir Alec Issigonis , there was a very good harmony between BM Birla and William Morris, so it is not surprising that the business relationship also flowed between the two companies. It is not until 1957 when Hindustan hits the mark and begins to manufacture and sell the most famous car in Indian history: The Ambassador.
Built on the basis of the Morris Oxford III, the Ambassador has been in production until 2014, when production stopped after 57 years. As you can see, the relationship between the two companies (and their leaders) led to writing a page in motorsport history, but let me go back to Mr. Birla. BM Birla, in addition to being an entrepreneur, supported the creation of numerous institutions in India, such as the Birla Institute of Technology, the BM Birla Science Museum, or the BM Birla Planetarium, as well as numerous schools. Hindustan Motors Ltd itself placed an order for 8 Minis to market in India, which were shipped by ship in 1959, arriving in India in December via Lisbon. Among them, this beautiful Mini that is still preserved in Goa. But of course, these Mini were sent at the same time as the unit that concerns us today, but our protagonist left by plane, with a brutal increase in costs. That car could not be for sale. My theory is that this Mini was a personal shipment from William Morris for BM Birla. A gift as a token of gratitude for a fruitful business relationship. Great business minds never stop working though, so the secondary motive was to try to explore the possibility of making Minis in factories in Hindustan. Which, seen what has been seen, was not carried out. The first flight of a Mini was on September 9, 1959, and I'm sure no one imagined that 64 years later we would still be talking about that AI104 bound for Calcutta. Today, a member of the Birla family has a large collection of cars. This is Kumar Mangalam Birla. Who knows if he will have the little Mini in his possession... This week's story ends here. I hope you liked knowing some details of this very special flight. This post is perhaps the perfect fusion between the two main topics of the blog: Aviation and Mini coexist in a surprising way in this space, although today is probably the golden opportunity for you to delve into one of the topics, if you are a fan. of the other. I would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the newsletter, where you will receive all my new posts promptly every Saturday. You just have to enter your information in the form below. Click here to visit his blog post
(We are grateful to Jordi Balle for allowing us to reproduce the above blog post on our website) A marriage made in the heavens …. literally!  The bridal couple, Sunita & Dilip Popley being welcomed at Mumbai airport by Uttara Parikh of Air India. Air India always did things differently, and has many firsts to its credit, particularly for customer delight and here is one more example. When Laxman Popley of Mumbai, owner of Popley & Sons, Jewelers wanted to celebrate his son Dilip’s wedding with Sunita in October 1994, he approached the airline for something different, and the airline replied that for him, The Sky is the Limit! This is what made the airline truly unique.
Air-India dedicated 3 decorated check-in counters at Mumbai Airport for all the Hawai Bandhan flight guests. The entire event was called ‘Hawai Bandhan’ (Wedding in the Air). A special design was created for this entire ceremony and tickets were given to guests in a folder specially designed for this. This folder said, ‘Air India proudly welcomes you to a historic wedding in the air, A marriage that’s truly made in heaven. We hope you enjoy the world’s first airborne wedding’. The same design was repeated on to the boarding cards and other collateral.  The Managing Director of Air-India, Capt. D.S. Mathur with Bride and Groom Boarding was at 12.30 pm and take off was at 1.00 pm. Eight rows of seats were removed from the aircraft for the priest to perform the wedding ceremony and for the bridal couple. The bridal couple came to the airport in all their wedding finery and checked in at the beautifully decorated check in counter. Uttara Parikh, who was the main organizer on part of the airline, was there to greet them and was also on the flight. The Managing Director of Air India, Capt. D.S. Mathur who also happened to be at the airport greeted the couple as well. Rose water was sprinkled on the guests as they boarded the aircraft, and a rose bud was presented to each of them. Shehnai music which is traditionally performed in Indian weddings was playing on the music system inside the aircraft as were other traditional wedding songs. The priest started performing the wedding ceremony once the aircraft took off. The ceremony itself was performed in full including recitation of traditional shlokas (hymns). The only part that was not possible was the lighting of the holy fire, which was not permitted for safety reasons.
These tent cards were placed in each meal tray on the flight. While the ceremony was going on, guests were served with refreshments. The airline pulled out all the sops where it came to catering. Master Chef, Sanjeev Kapoor was roped in to curate the meal and he also prepared the three-tier wedding cake. The meals were served on Royal Doulton crockery. Each tray had a little menu card with the same Hawai Bandhan motif. The food served on board was catered by Air India in full compliance with their requirements of loading meals on board to fit in the trolleys. A gift was also given by Air India to all the guests at the wedding. Air India also gifted the newly married couple tickets to Switzerland for their honeymoon. This was the first time a wedding ceremony was performed in the air, and was not repeated anywhere for many years by any other airline. On a lighter note, I would love to see what their wedding certificate says about the place of marriage. Here is a link to a 2 minute video about the wedding https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1016526
We are grateful to Uttara Parikh, our source of never ending knowledge on everything about Air India, for sharing this wonderful story with us and to permit us to use the images. She was the coordinator from Air India for this event. |
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