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8th  June 1948 Air India souvenir  flight covers

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Air India issued red souvenir covers to commemorate the historic first flight of Independent India.

Date: 8th June 1948

Type of Aircraft: Lockheed Constellation L-749

Name of the Aircraft: Malabar Princess,

Registration Mark: VT-CQP,

Pilot: Capt. K.R. Guzder

Frequency of service: Once a week.

Aircraft shown on the Air India souvenir cover is Mogul Princess(VT-CQS)

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Air India souvenir cover sent by registered post to New York with block of 4 with delivery mark of New York received on 12th June 1948.

AIR INDIA FFC 8TH JUNE 1948 SIGNED GUZDER PILOT
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Air India souvenir cover sent to Cairo is signed by the Pilot K.R> Guzder. Also with a Cairo arrival mark with an Arabic script

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Air India souvenir cover sent to Cairo is signed by the Pilot K.R> Guzder. Also with a Cairo arrival mark with an Arabic script.

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Air India souvenir cover sent to England signed by

Pilot K.R. Guzder.

Signed with a red pen, maybe signed in 1960 or a later date than 1948.

AIR INDIA_8TH JUNE 1948 ENGLAND CANCELLE
AIR INDIA_8TH JUNE 1948 ENGLAND CANCELLE

Air-India  Souvenir cover, with the 12 as. stamp, this one with a Calcutta, 12 Jun 48, cancellation . The postage stamp itself is cancelled with a London 8 JY inverted arrival mark which is usually applied at the back of the cover. Since the letter was posted in Calcutta after the 5 June deadline, it was too late to be sent to Bombay and be carried on the 8th June inaugural service, and also have the first flight cachet applied there. The Calcutta postal authorities sent the cover through normal post and since it was not posted on 8th the London postal authorities added the postage due mark when it reached London . 

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Air India souvenir cover sent by registered post to England with block of 4 and a special rubber cancel made by C. Hansen , which was applied to all Hansen covers. With a special souvenir card of Air India

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Air India souvenir covers sent to Cairo, the top one has the arrival stamp in Arabic script applied  on the front and Cairo delivery date cancel of 9th on the back. The bottom cover has 2 Cairo delivery date cancels ,one is 9th June and the other is 12th June. It can also be said that this marks the return flight.

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Air India souvenir cover sent  to England by  D.R.D Tata to D.R.D Tata. 

D.R.D. Tata was brother of J.R.D Tata.

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Air India souvenir cover sent  to England by  Jal Cooper with a date cancel apart from the boxed cancel. Also enclosed a souvenir card by Jal Cooper.

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Air India souvenir cover sent to U.K.

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