The Impact of the Evolution of Airmail on Communication and Commerce

We all take it for granted in the 2020’s that when we send cards, or letters to friends and family overseas, that it will be carried by aircraft to the destination country. But if we go back just over 100 years things were a lot different. 

Until the early 1910’s balloon post existed in carrying some mail, but the more traditional methods would have been by road (horse and carriage and later motor vehicles), railways and ships.

In 1911, the first airmail service carrying mail by airplane took place in India, with French Pilot Henri Pequet, flying a distance of around 5 miles from an Allahabad Polo Field to Naini, on board were around 6,000 cards, and covers. Each cover carried bore a cancel of “First Aerial Post, 1911 U.P Exhibition Allahabad”.

The first scheduled airmail service in the UK took place later in 1911. They were part of the celebrations for the Coronation of King George V. The service ran from Hendon, to Windsor and commenced on the 9th September. Initially it was only meant to run for one week, but adverse weather put paid to that and the service overran by a day or two. Such was the popularity of the event it caused a backlog of commemorative cards and envelopes, with items not cleared unto the end of September. Gustav Hamel was the pilot on this inaugural flight, covering the 19 miles in an impressive 18 minutes from Hendon to Windsor. Only a few hundred covers were carried on this first flight.

A limited service soon opened operating airmail between England and France, and later in 1918 the overseas airmail service was organised by the RAF and British Army Post office in an experimental service between Folkestone and Cologne.

Elsewhere in the world, in the USA the first scheduled air route was from New York to Washington on May the 15th 1918. This coincided with the issue of one of the most famous stamps the 24c Jenny Airmail stamp, with most having heard of the inverted Jenny error, with the airplane pictured upside down within the centre of the stamp - only 100 exist, each numbered with one of the last one being discovered in 2018. Prices for these stamps alone can exceed $1,000,000.

Just these few examples of the evolution of Airmail, has redefined global postal communications in the 20th century. There are many collectors of airmail stamps and covers flown by a variety of aircraft. Covers can range from a few pounds to thousands, and many specialise on routes or types of air transport. Next time we will look at one of the most popular areas of airmail, Zeppelin covers.