Flying Boat Over Air Signpost At Karachi British India, 1940 Photo

A 1937 photo shows an Imperial Airways flying boat flying over the once famous Karachi air signpost in the British India era. The Imperial Airways Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat ‘Caledonia’ flies over the signpost at Karachi (in then undivided India). The pilot cannot see what is written on the signpost, but that does not matter. The pilot knows the route as good as the London bus driver knows his route around the city.

Karachi airport’s history goes back to the early 1920s when an aerodrome was built, it was the main airport of entry into the Indian sub-continent during India’s early aviation. In 1929 an Imperial Airways aircraft landed in Karachi from London marking it as the first airport in South Asia to be used by a commercial aircraft. During WWII Karachi airport functioned as a takeoff and landing runway for airforce planes. It also operated as a major maintenance and supply depot for the Allied Air Forces. Click on the image to enlarge the view.

Did you know – Imperial Airways never achieved the levels of technological innovation of its competitors. It was merged with the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1939. BOAC, in turn, merged with the British European Airways in 1974 to form British Airways. 

Past posts – Rural Life In India Watercolour Painting By N. Mukherjee., University Garden Bombay, 1905 Postcard., Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Bombay, Rare 1905 Advertisement., Cotton Bales At Bori Bunder Station, Old Print 1862.