A Miniature Sheet consisting of 4 nos of commemorative postage stamps on 100 years of Airmail at Indipex 2011, a World Philatelic Exhibition :

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 12, 2011

Issued for : India Post celebrates 100 years of Airmail Service by issuing this set of four commemorative postage stamps.

Issued for : Now through the set of four stamps, First Day Cover and Minisheet on 100 Years of Airmail Service, the Department attempts to recreate the history of the first flight over the river Yamuna sharing the flight path along with the plane and the pilot. In the background is Allahabad Fort. On the First Day Cover, a collage of some stamps issued in the past has been shown.

Credits :
Stamp, FDC : Sankha Samanta(Based on material provided by Shri Pradip Jain)
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paisa each

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million each

Miniature Sheets : 0.4 Million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• India Post had brought series of postage stamps to mark INDIPEX 2011 World Philatelic Exhibition to be held from 12^th February to 18^th February, 2011 at New Delhi. In this series the first set of six stamps was on Postal Heritage Buildings. The second set of four stamps was on the stamps issued by princely States and the third and final set is commemorating completion of 100 years of Airmail Service.
• History was created on February 18, 1911 when Henri Piquet took off in a Humber Biplane from the right bank of the Yamuna at Allahabad crossing over to the left bank and dropped a mail bag containing 6500 letters and Post Cards at the Naini Railway Station. India thus became the first country in the world to fly air mails.
• After this pioneer effort, India was also the first country to introduce air mail Post Card in 1931.
• The first Regular airmail service which was started in 1920, operated between Mumbai (Bombay) & Karachi.
• After independence, on January 30, 1949, Shri Rafi Ahmed Kidwai then Minister of Communications, introduced the “All-up Mail Scheme” under which all the First Class domestic mail was airlifted without any surcharge.
• India Post has been commemorating these historic events by issuing sets of postage stamps from time to time. Some of the important stamps issued in past are:
  1. First Airmail Post Golden Jubilee (set of 3 stamps) – 1961
  2. Air Mail (set of 4 stamps) – 1979
  3. 75^th Anniversary of 1^st Aerial Post (set of 2 stamps) – 1986
  4. 150 years of India Post – 2004
  5. India Post Freighter – 2009.
• Text : Based on the material available in the Archives.

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