SERVICE INAUGURATED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16914, 1 April 1929, Page 7

SERVICE INAUGURATED

AIR MAIL TO INDIA TRIUMPH OF ORGANISATION (British' Official Wireless.; Roc. noon. RUGBY, March 30. Tim longest air service in the world, and the biggest step yet taken by British civil aviation, was inaugurated to-day with the opening of the Britain to India- weekly mail and passenger service of British airways. The jon.' - - noy from Croydon to Karachi will .ahe seven days, compared with lb days required, even with Ihe fastest combination of boat and train on the ordinary route.

The total length of the air line is "000 miles. .From London to Basle, Switzerland, the mail is borne in a big three - ejiginod Armstrong - Sicldeley Argosy air liner. From Basle it is carried by night mail train to Genoa. At: Genoa it goes aboard an all-metal Shortt Calcutta air boat, which (lies with it to Alexandria. Here it is transferred to a 1500 horse-power De Ha villa nd Hercules Empire type of aeroplane, which by stages bears it, by way of Bagdad and Basra down the Persian Gulf to Karachi. To organise this new airway, special aeroplanes and Hying beats have been designed and < built Harbors foi marine aircraft and landing places foi aeroplanes have been .surveyed and established, ami a chain of wireless ami meteorological stations lias been in stalled. The aircraft will be in wireless touch with inter-communicating ground stations throughout the whole journey by means of the latest Marconi apparatus. The'London-Karachi fare will be £l3O, including hotels and meals, Ton don-Bagdad £9O, and London-Egypt £BB. The surcharge on air mail letters is only 6(1.