Indian Airmails

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  • Pre-1953 Airlines
    • Indian State Air Services >
      • 1929 Karachi - Delhi via Hyderabad & Jodhpur
    • Delhi Flying Club >
      • 1931 Emergency Flight by Delhi Flying Club
      • 1932 Karachi - Delhi
    • Indian Trans-Continental Airways >
      • 1933 Karachi - Calcutta >
        • 1933 Eastwards: Karachi - Calcutta
        • 1933 Westwards: Calcutta to Karachi
      • 1933 Calcutta - Rangoon via Akyab >
        • 1933 Eastwards: Calcutta - Rangoon via Akyab
        • 1933 Westwards: Rangoon - Calcutta via Akyab
      • 1933 Karachi - Singapore Extension
      • 1936 Rangoon - Hong Kong
    • Indian National Airways >
      • 1933 Calcutta - Dacca
      • 1933 Rangoon - Calcutta
      • 1934 Karachi - Lahore
      • 1939 Karachi - Delhi
      • 1947 Calcutta - Rangoon
    • Madras Air Taxi Service
    • Experimental & Survey Flights. >
      • 1931 England - Australia Flight >
        • 1st Experimental Flight
        • 2nd Experimental Flight
      • 1938 Flying Boat Coogee
  • Tata Airlines
    • 1932 - Karachi - Madras >
      • Official Southbound
      • Official Northbound
      • Other Southbound
      • Other Northbound
      • Other Material
    • 1933 - Karachi - Madras via Poona
    • 1935 Karachi - Madras via Hyderabad >
      • 1935 - Karachi - Madras via Hyderabad
      • 1935 Bombay-Hyderabad Errors on Stamp
    • 1935 - Bombay - Calcutta demonstration flight
    • 1935 - Bombay - Travancore via Goa & Cannanore
    • 1936 - Madras to Colombo via Trichinopoly
    • 1937 - First Flight to Bhuj
    • 1937 - Delhi - Bombay via Gwalior, Bhopal & Indore
    • 1938 - Karachi - Madras extension to Colombo via Trichnopoly
    • 1938 - Trichinopoly - Trivandrum extension
    • 1938 - Mansoon halt at Poona
    • 1946 - Bombay - Calcutta via Nagpur
  • Air-India
    • 1948 Air-India International Bombay - London Flight >
      • Postage Stamps - Constant Errors
      • The Postage Stamp
      • First Day Covers
      • DG's Circular & Postal Notices
      • Official Covers
      • Air-India Covers
      • Special Flight Cachet
      • Postage Rates gallery
      • Local Cancellations
      • Private Covers Gallery
      • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations >
        • Interesting Destinations
        • Interesting Places of Origin
        • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations
      • More interesting covers
      • Return Flight covers
      • Other Philatelic Curiosities
      • Award winning exhibit
    • 1948 - 1953 Early Route Expansion
    • 1954 - 1959 Early Route Expansion
    • 1960 - 1965 Air-India Boeing 707 Era.
    • 1966 - 1970 Air-India Boeing 707 Era.
    • 1971 - 1975 Boeing 747 & Other Aircraft Era
    • 1976 Onward Boeing 747 & Other Aircraft Era
    • Crash Mail Covers
    • Postal Meter panels
  • Indian Airlines
    • 1960 - 1964
    • 1965 - 1969
    • 1970 - 1974
    • 1975 - 1979
    • 1980 - Onward
    • Meter Panel & Stationery
  • Others
    • Zeppelin & Catapult >
      • LZ-10 Schwaben
      • LZ-13 Hansa
      • LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin
      • LZ-129 Hindenberg
      • LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II
      • Catapult Mail
      • Ephemera
    • Rocket Mail >
      • Indian Rocket Mail
      • Sikkim Rocket Mail
    • Pigeon Mail
    • Balloon Mail
    • Airship R 101
    • Indian Air Force
  • Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Contact

Souvenir cover issued by Air-India

Special large rectangular illustrated Air Mail covers were issued by Air-India. Colourful, with a large bold red panel on the top, and a smaller greenish blue panel below, they had a oval white space to print the address. The cover had a drawing of the Lockheed Constellation L-749A Mogul Princess (VT-CQS), one of the first three aircraft delivered to Air-India. In fact, it was the Malabar Princess (VT-CQP) that actually had the honour of undertaking the maiden voyage.
Also notice in all the covers below that they do not contain the BOMBAY G.P.O., 8 JUN 48 circular date stamp. It seems that these were cancelled elsewhere, perhaps at the Bombay airport.

Air-India International flight from Bombay to London 8 June 1948.
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Unusual example of the Tata souvenir cover.
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Air-India International Souvenir Cover franked with the 12 as  commemorative stamp issued for the flight, and tied with the special flight cachet as well as circular BOMBAY G.P.O., 8 JUN 48 postal cancellation mark. However, the cover is not addressed to anyone, and not flown. This is the first example I have seen of a cover with such characteristics.
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Air-India Souvenir cover addressed to Cairo. has the 12 as. stamp, and was over-stamped by 2 as., as the Letter rate by Air Mail to Egypt was only 10 as. Arrival stamp in Arabic script on the front of the cover as well.


Inauguration of India - UK Air Service by Air-India
8 June 1948

Picture
948.1.2 Addressed to Cairo
Registered Souvenir cover, produced by Tata Limited, with the single value 12a. stamp and 4 as franking (registration fee) on reverse, with the official first day of issue Bombay cancellation. The postage to Egypt was 10a. and the cover was over stamped by 2a. Despite instructions that other cancellation was to applied on the 12a. stamp, it is tied with a Bombay G.P.O., 8 July 48 postal handstamp.

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Air-India Souvenir cover addressed to Geneva. Since the postage rate to Geneva was 14 as. the sender has correctly added 2 as. postage on the reverse. Arrival mark at Geneva (9-VI 48) is also on the reverse.


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Air-India Souvenir cover addressed to London. Correctly franked with the 12 a. airmail letter rate, the cover does not have any arrival mark at London. The Postmaster at London G.P.O. was clearly unhappy at the thought of Air-India carrying mail to London, something done exclusively by B.O.A.C. so far, and he expressed his displeasure by refusing to affix arrival marks on these covers. However, examples of arrival marking in the U.K. do exist, and I have displayed these elsewhere in this gallery.

Picture
Picture
Air-India Souvenir Cover with a block of four of the commemorative 12 as value stamp issued for the occasion, and cancelled by the regular BOMBAY G.P.O. 8 JUN 48 cachet. While it seems a fair conclusion that the cover was flown on the 8 June flight, there is no marking of the boxed rectangular souvenir cachet used that day. I have only seen a handful of such examples.

Picture
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Air-India International First Flight from Bombay to London 8 June 1948
Unusual Place of Origin – Patna; Stationary fold error on cover
 Air-India International souvenir cover with the 12a value stamp issued for use on that date and posted with a Patna return address. Unusual place of origin. The envelope is also folded wrongly, and the powder blue portion of the bottom is also visible on the top.
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