The world’s first official air mail flight took place in Allahabad, British India, on 18 February 1911 when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivered 6500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away. He flew a Humber-Sommer birplane and made the journey in 13 minutes. The event marked the first time airplanes flew in India. All mail received a special cancel depicting an airplane, mountains, and “First Aerial Post, 1911, U.P. Exhibition Allahabad.”
An appeal from Rev. W.E.S. Holland, a chaplain of the Holy Trinity Church, Allahabad, spurred the event. He had appealed to Windham for help in fundraising for a new youth hostel. Windham conceived the aerial post and obtained approval from the post office for officially sanctioned mail. Postal officials asked Windham to design the cancel. Most mail has a magenta cancellation, but a few examples exist with black ink. The regular postage rate required an additional surcharge as a donation for the Church Hostel Building.
Picture Credit : Google