First Long Distance Flight From Europe To India, 2 Newspapers 1919
Rare newspaper images capture the historic arrival of the Handley Page V/1500 in India in 1919. Marking one of the first long-distance flights from Europe to India. These visuals, sourced from the Illustrated London News (February 22, 1919) and The Statesman (February 7, 1920). Offer a rare glimpse into the dawn of aviation in India.
The aircraft featured in both publications is the same Handley Page V/1500 biplane. Which completed the pioneering journey from England to India. In December 1918, it embarked on this groundbreaking route, flying via Rome, Malta, Cairo, and Baghdad before arriving in Karachi (in undivided India). This remarkable feat stands as one of the earliest intercontinental aviation milestones.
Upon its arrival, the aircraft was greeted with cheers and immense enthusiasm. A crowd exceeding ten thousand people gathered to witness the historic landing at each place. The flight took off from Karachi for Delhi, Allahabad, and finally landed at the Calcutta Race Course nearly a month later.
One of the images in the newspaper also shows Lord Chelmsford, the then Viceroy of India, accompanied by his daughter and granddaughter during their visit to the air base. The moment captures them preparing for what was likely a joyride aboard the iconic Handley Page biplane.
Read more on this first flight – Handley Page V/1500, Photograph of Handley Page V/1500 British Bomber, and, Handley Page V/1500 in Wikipedia.
Did you know – the Handley Page V/1500 was originally a bomber in WWI. It was used again for the same purpose, this time to bomb Kabul in May 1919
