Austria -

“ AVIATION ~ PLANES ~ 100 YEARS OF AIRMAIL.”

MNH ~ Miniature Sheet !

The Post conquers the airspace.

After aircraft had been used for the carriage of field post in the First World War, the year 1918 marks the beginning of the civil airmail transport. Austrian Post honors the round anniversary with a special stamp block.

At the end of March 1918, test flights between Vienna and Lviv (in the Ukraine) were successful, and on March 31, 1918, the first daily international civilian aircraft courier line between Vienna and Ukraine began operating. The route led from the Vienna airfield in Aspern on Krakow to Lviv, from the end of June then on to Proskurow and to Kiev - 1,200 kilometers of airline in each direction. Until Lviv, the flight from Vienna, including a stopover, took about three hours.

In July 1918, a flight connection between Vienna and Budapest was established, which operated twice a day. Just a few weeks later, however, this airmail service was discontinued due to numerous complications and accidents.

The Airmail stamps

For the airmail service mainly aircraft from Austro-Hungarian production were used, such as models of Hansa-Brandenburg - this aircraft manufacturer had emerged from the Brandenburg aircraft factory GmbH , founded by the Austrian aircraft pioneer Igo Etrich. 

The airmail was franked with specially issued airmail stamps on the basis of the postage stamps 1918, which gave it in the value levels 1.50 crowns, 2.50 crowns and 4 crowns with the black imprint "airmail". The airmail stamps were first printed on gray "war paper", later on white paper.

The cost of transportation consists of the postage (in free stamps), the agency fee of 1 kroner per shipment for the transportation to the airfield and the flight fee of 1.50 kroner for each leg of 20 grams. The last civil shipments by airmail took place in October 1918, the validity of the airmail stamps ended with October 15, 1918.

"This special stamp has a nominal value of 90 cents and is thus suitable at the time of its being spent at the franking rate of the 1st tariff level abroad. The surcharge of 45 cents is a donation to the Association of Austrian Philatelistenvereine. "

Year: 2018.