Flying Boat Airline Service In The British India Era, 2 Rare Clippings 1944
Two rare magazine clippings depicting the BOAC flying boat airline during the British India era, around 1944. Few people realize that international flying-boat airlines once operated regular services in colonial India. The first clip shows a colour animation of a BOAC flying boat airliner on the Hooghly River (now Hughli) in 1944. It carried 22 passengers with a cargo of 1800 kgs.
The text mentions: “Taking between six and seven days to make the Poole (England) to Sydney run…it touches at Singapore…The Hythe, here seen at Calcutta, is a most comfortable airliner…” The second clipping shows another Hythe-class flying-boat flying from Calcutta on the dragon route, Rangoon-Bangkok-Hong Kong; here it passes a giant Buddha on the Siamese (Thai) section of the run.
The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was one of the world’s major airlines that operated flying boats from the late 1930s to the 1950s. The airline operated both land-based and water-based aircraft.
Flying boats came into use since airfields and airports in the 1930s and 1940s were not well-developed in many countries. The flying boats were more practical to operate than land-based aircraft. This is because water bodies were more easily accessible than airfields. The British-based airline route consisted of London to Egypt to Karachi, Jodhpur, Calcutta, Bangkok, Rangoon, and Hong Kong with many halts in between.
Another route was from London to Egypt to South Africa, also with many halts in between. Since the effective flight range of the aircraft was only 1500-1700 miles. The halts were a must for refueling. But by the 1950s, flying boats were discontinued because of high fuel consumption due to drag and frequent maintenance problems. Click first image to enlarge.
Also read By flying boat across India.
Did you know- Lord Wavell was the first Viceroy to reach India by air; he arrived by a BOAC flying boat in 1943.
