Indian Airmails

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  • Home
  • 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
      • 1934 Karachi - Australia Extension
      • 1936 Rangoon - Hong Kong
    • Indian National Airways >
      • 1933 Calcutta - Dacca
      • 1933 Rangoon - Calcutta
      • 1934 Karachi - Lahore
      • 1940 Karachi - Calcutta via 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
    • Star Line
  • Tata Airlines
    • 1931 - Karachi - Madras: Route Survey Flight
    • 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
    • Crash Mail Covers
    • Meter Panel & Stationery
  • Foreign Airlines
    • B.O.A.C. >
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 1 Jetliner Service London to Colombo August 1952
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 1 Jetliner Service London to Singapore October 1952
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 1 Jetliner Service London to Tokyo April 1953
      • B.O.A.C. Britannia Turbo-Prop Airliner London to Sydney March 1957
      • B.O.A.C. Britannia Turbo-Prop Airliner London to Tokyo July 1957
      • B.O.A.C. Britannia Turbo-Prop Airliner London to Colombo August-September 1957
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 4 Jetliner Service London to Tokyo April 1959
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 4 Jetliner Service London to Singapore June 1959
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 4 Jetliner Service London to Sydney November 1959
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 4 Jetliner Service London to Manila November 1961
      • B.O.A.C. Comet 4 Jetliner Service London to Auckland April 1963
      • B.O.A.C. Boeing 707 London to Nandi November 1965
      • B.O.A.C. VC 10 40th Anniversary of Regular Airmail
  • 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 us
1932 Karachi-Madras - Other Material
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Photocopy of the Record of Flights of 1st Air Mail Flight of TATA
​Record of Flights of 1st Air Mail Flight of TATA Karachi - Madras flight indicating the usage of VT-ACZ Aircraft (Refer Markings column) for Karachi - Bombay flight on 15th October 1932.

Tata Sons Ltd., First Flight from Karachi to Madras
15th October 1932
Proof cover – Approval record item signed by Mr. J. R. D. Tata

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We illustrate above the suggested design which has been approved by Messrs. Tata and Sons to be used on the extension of the Indian Air Mail Services to Madras, the first flight of which was due to be flown in October, 1932.
​Rare cover signed by Mr. J.R.D. Tata

The special cover illustrated above for the projected extension of the Indian Air Mail Services was approved on the 27th June. On the 26th July, after 750 of these had been disposed of in readiness for the flight, the sale of these covers was stopped in India by the Technical Adviser of Messrs. Tata Sons, Ltd., who stated that the Union Jack spoilt the design, so that all future printings were to have the Union Jack omitted. Persons residing abroad can use the design illustrated, whilst all persons iin India must use the new envelope. As there was no need for red to appear on the cover., owing to the Union Jack being removed, Mr. Smith obtained permission to change it to the more natural colour of yellow. The new covers were printed on the 17th August. There has, however, been a very small sale for the new covers, but only those of this design have been sanctioned by Messrs. Tata Sons Ltd.
(Image Courtesy: Kiran Natrajan,Bangalore)

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A rare ‘Rough Proof’ of the Type 1a Cover designed and signed by Stephen H Smith on 13th July 1932, about 3 months before the date of the first Airmail flight.

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Specimen of Type 1a Cover (with Union Jack) with important historical data annotated by Stephen H Smith
2,000 such covers were printed, but on 26th July 1932 after 11 days of release, sale of these covers were stopped and these covers were withdrawn. By then already 1,250 covers were sold.
India was going through her struggle of freedom from British rule, and the use of a cover with Union Jack was considered unpatriotic in India and there were protests leading to the abrupt withdrawal of this cover from sale.

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Specimen of Type 2 Cover
Given the political situation in India, following protests, Tata withdrew the permission for the Type 1 cover and the Union Jack was removed from cover design and the Red colour was replaced with Yellow. Sale was restarted after 17th August 1932 and only 750 covers of Type 2 were sold.
Specimen Type 2 Cover with out union Jack, with important historical data annotated by Stephen H. Smith

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Postal Publicity Leaflet published for distribution in Britain with information on availing the airmail service from Britain, postal rates and superscription required on the cover.

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Airmail Labels published by Tata, authenticated by Stephen H Smith.

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Postal Souvenir Card by Francis J Field
Very Rare and not much seen card folder produced by Francis J Field for the First Airmail Flight of TATA Sons Ltd. The post card shows the route from Karachi to Madras (via Ahmedabad, Bombay and Bellary) and how it connects to the Imperial Line to London and rest of the world. Francis John Field was a philatelist and Stamp Dealer who specialised in Aero-philately and was entered in the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1968.

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