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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.
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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].
A series of advertisements and posters were prepared, and I must say the designs are outstanding. Alas, I have not seen any of them myself, but the booklet shown above has images of these. I am reproducing some of these posters below, starting with the teaser poster designed to arouse curiosity, and then on to a series of posters designed to run through the first year of operations. The booklet goes on the detail out other publicity measured the airline planned for the first year including press advertisements, direct mail, route maps, a series of four introductory brochures etc. All in all, an extremely well thought through and executed campaign. You can download the pdf by clicking the link here Indian Airlines Corporation - Viscount.
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