Indian Airmails

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      • 1929 Karachi - Delhi via Hyderabad & Jodhpur
      • 1931 Last Flight Karachi-Delhi
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      • 1931 Emergency Flight by Delhi Flying Club
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      • 1933 Karachi - Calcutta >
        • 1933 Eastwards: Karachi - Calcutta
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      • 1933 Calcutta - Dacca
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      • 1938 Bombay-Kathiawar
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      • 1931 England - Australia Flight >
        • 1st Experimental Flight
        • 2nd Experimental Flight
      • 1938 Flying Boat Coogee
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      • 1948 - Nagpur - Lucknow
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      • 1949 - Calcutta - Hong Kong
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    • Himalayan Aviation
    • Aviation Related Events >
      • 1938 Karachi Airport
      • 1940 Hyderabad Air Service
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  • 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 >
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      • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations >
        • Interesting Destinations
        • Interesting Places of Origin
        • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations
      • More interesting covers
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      • 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
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    • 1980 - Onward
    • Crash Mail Covers
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  • Foreign Airlines
    • Air Ceylon
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    • 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
    • Trans - Australian
    • TWA
  • Others
    • Zeppelin & Catapult >
      • LZ-10 Schwaben
      • LZ-13 Hansa
      • LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin
      • LZ-129 Hindenberg
      • LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II
      • Catapult Mail
      • Ephemera
      • Fakes & Forgeries
    • Rocket Mail >
      • Indian Rocket Mail
      • Sikkim Rocket Mail
    • Astrophilately >
      • Indian Astrophilately
      • Astro Ephemera
    • Pigeon Mail
    • Balloon Mail
    • Air Mail Societies
    • Airship R 101
    • Indian Air Force
    • Modern Airlines >
      • Star Air
      • Vayudoot
      • Vistara
    • Misc. Airmails
    • Not in Collection (NIC) >
      • World War 1
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      • Slogan Cancellation
      • FDC
      • FDC (as Fake)
      • Zeppelin & Catapult
  • Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Contact us
  • Home
  • Pre-1953 Airlines
    • 1911 1st Aerial Post NIC
    • Indian State Air Services >
      • 1929 Karachi - Delhi via Hyderabad & Jodhpur
      • 1931 Last Flight Karachi-Delhi
    • 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
      • 1938 Delhi - Lahore
      • 1939 Karachi - Delhi
      • 1940 Karachi - Calcutta
      • 1947 Calcutta - Rangoon
    • Air Services of India Ltd >
      • 1938 Bombay-Kathiawar
      • 1940 Bombay-Amreli
      • 1940 Kolhapur - Bombay
    • Madras Air Taxi Service
    • Experimental & Survey Flights. >
      • 1931 England - Australia Flight >
        • 1st Experimental Flight
        • 2nd Experimental Flight
      • 1938 Flying Boat Coogee
    • Dalmia-Jain Airways Ltd
    • Orient Airways Ltd
    • Starline / Indian Overseas Airline >
      • 1948 - Nagpur - Lucknow
      • 1949 First Indian Night Mail Flight
      • 1949 All Up Internal Air Mail
    • Bharat Airways >
      • 1949 - Calcutta - Hong Kong
      • 1950 - Calcutta - Singapore
    • Himalayan Aviation
    • Aviation Related Events >
      • 1938 Karachi Airport
      • 1940 Hyderabad Air Service
    • WW2 Flights
    • Unknown Airlines
  • 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 - 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
    • Air Ceylon
    • Air France
    • 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
    • Trans - Australian
    • TWA
  • Others
    • Zeppelin & Catapult >
      • LZ-10 Schwaben
      • LZ-13 Hansa
      • LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin
      • LZ-129 Hindenberg
      • LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II
      • Catapult Mail
      • Ephemera
      • Fakes & Forgeries
    • Rocket Mail >
      • Indian Rocket Mail
      • Sikkim Rocket Mail
    • Astrophilately >
      • Indian Astrophilately
      • Astro Ephemera
    • Pigeon Mail
    • Balloon Mail
    • Air Mail Societies
    • Airship R 101
    • Indian Air Force
    • Modern Airlines >
      • Star Air
      • Vayudoot
      • Vistara
    • Misc. Airmails
    • Not in Collection (NIC) >
      • World War 1
      • World War 2
      • Slogan Cancellation
      • FDC
      • FDC (as Fake)
      • Zeppelin & Catapult
  • Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Contact us

Useful Links

Here I have listed links to other sites which you may find interesting. You will find that Air-India is constantly in the news, and has a large fan following. I have listed these topically, and hope to add many more as we go along.
ps: I may not agree with everything they say, and sometimes the information may be wrong. However, that is for the reader to judge.

Tata Group Civil Aviation History

Magic Carpet, The Staff Magazine of Air-India, Vol. 6, No. 8. October 1962. Released on the 30th Anniversary of the First Airmail Flight of Tata Sons piloted by JRD Tata, Neville Vincent and Homi Barucha is stages, this entire issue is dedicated to the flight with lots of rare pictures and information. I have provided a link for you to view or download the pdf from my dropbox account.
Picture
  • The TATA review published in December 1982. This issue is devoted to the 50th anniversary celebrations of Tatas in aviation. JRD Tata re-enacted his historic flight from Karachi to Bombay, in an almost similar airplane, and this time at the young age of 78 years. There is other material in the issue besides this flight, and I have provided a link for you to view or download the pdf from my dropbox account.
Picture
J. R. D. Tata
  • JENTLEMAN JEH. An article in the Sunday Mid-Day, December 5, 1993, by R k Karanjia. Jeh's life was like a perfect Victorian sonnet: with a beautiful beginning, robust middle and gentle ending.

Air India History

  • Air India's Inaugural Flight. (nd) dadinani.com
  • Air India : The history of the aircraft fleet. 26 July 2004, by Sean Mendis
  • When Air India Was Owned By Tata’s, February 4, 2016, By Al Arafat Sherfuddeen.
  • Air India Flew Its First International Flight 68 Years Ago. Here’s All You Need To Know About It. Jun 10, 2016, by Shumali Sharma
  • 3 November 1950. On the crash of the Malabar Princess by Bryan R. Swopes.
  • Time for the Maharaja to Stand Tall. Sep 17 2016 : The Economic Times (Mumbai) by Anirban Chowdhury and Mihir Mishra. Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in his inimitable way is attempting to bring back the glory that Air India once commanded. But more interesting is the kinship that Raju, a scion of the royal family of Vizianagram, finds with the airline's iconic mascot: The Maharaja.
  • Here is a link to Airwhiners.net. It contains a complete list of Air-India aircraft, with registration numbers, names and more information. This is complied by Seam Mendis. Unfortunately, it mixes up both Air-India Ltd., and Air-India International Ltd. However, it is very comprehensive, and a useful reference tool.
  • Air-India like you've never seen before. May 14 2018: 'Revisiting the Golden Age of Travel with Air-India' With the help of private collectors and archival material, AD revisits the beauty and grace of the Maharajah Lounges and the Emperor fleet, before the titles came to an end in 1988. by Arcihtectual Digest (AD)

Air India Collectibles

  • Airline Timetable Images is a wonderful website put up by Björn Larsson and David Zekria. You will need to navigate through the site for a glimpse of very old and rate timetables and baggage labels of Air-India.
  • Club Maharaja. An absolutely fabulous aviation website called Aerocollectors Club by Ken Sequeira, built in 2014. Ken worked for Air-India and now lives in Australia. He has dedicated a section to Air-India, and has the most amazing gallery of items on display.
  • All the Maharaja’s men. March 10, 2016, by Riaan Jacob George. - a great article on Air-India collectibles and the growing tribe of collectors.
  • Air India to host rare ancient artefacts on August 15. By Neha Tripathi, The Asian age, Jan 30, 2017.
  • In return, Señor Dali would like a baby elephant by Reema Gehi, Mumbai Mirror, August 6, 2017.
  • Air-India museum likely to be opened by January in Mumbai by Express News Service, The Indian Express, August 23, 2017.
  • 'I once flirted with a Maharajah' Nargis Wadia reminisces about the joy of creating Air-India's iconic posters by Salil Deshpande, Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, May 11, 2018.
Air-India Art Collection
  • First ever exhibition of the Air India art collection. 17 Aug 2013, by Gargi Gupta
  • How the Maharajah become an art lover by Reema Gehi, July 16, 2017.  Air-India has one of India's biggest art collections. How did the national carrier come to acquire it in the first place?​
  • Culture Ministry will take over AI's art collection. National carrier’s priceless artwork will be taken over by the Ministry of Culture, which will display it in the National Gallery of Modern Art in various metros. by Mumbai Mirror, July 2, 2018.
  • Air-India to give away 4,000 artworks gathering dust at Mumbai office to NGMA. “The Maharaja collection”, as it is generally called, has more than 4,000 works, including paintings by legendary artists such as M F Husain, V S Gaitonde, Jatin Das, and Anjolie Ela Menon.by Divya A, Indian Express, July 4, 2018.

Air India Trivia

  • Air-India adds more color to Diwali Stamp Celebrations by Bidisha Roy. 21 Oct 2016. Gifts free return tickets to India to winners in AI Raffle to promote Diwali Stamp
  • Air-India flies Delhi-San Francisco nonstop over Pacific, and into record books by Saurabh Sinha, Oct 23, 2016.
  • AI lines up an all-woman, round-the-world flight, by Manju V. Feb 17 2017 : The Times of India (Mumbai). To fly to San Francisco from Delhi, Air India flies eastwards over the Pacific, making a 15,300km journey, which happens to be the world's longest non-stop route to be operated by any airline.
  • Air-India: Crew recall good old days when the Maharajah was pride of the nation by Jane Borges. July 09, 2017. As Air-India gets ready to move into private hands, crew members share memories of flying around the world with the Maharajah.​
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