The Air Mail Route
Encyclopedia
The Cairo - Baghdad Air Route was an airmail
route established by the Royal Air Force
following a conference of British military and civil officials held in Cairo in March 1921. The aim was to create an air link between Egypt
, Mandate Palestine and British Mandate of Mesopotamia (Iraq), which were under British control following the end of World War I
. The western end of the route was the airfield at Heliopolis
, on the outskirts of Cairo
. The eastern end was at Hinaidi airfield, just south of Baghdad
. It was intended the route would eventually extend to India.
The route was opened on 23 June 1921 and the first mail was carried on 28 July 1921. The aircraft used were RAF Vickers Vernons, twin-engined biplanes were capable of carrying up to seven passengers and mail
, but, for longer endurance, usually carried a smaller load. Initially the price of mail was 1 shilling
an ounce, but as the route became established this was reduced to 3d (old pence).
The route was 866 miles long and comprised two sections. The Western third (326 miles) was mostly over the over the well populated coastal plains between the Nile
and the Dead Sea
, where there were plenty of landmarks by which to steer. The Eastern section (540 miles) was over the Jordanian and Iraqi deserts, uninhabited except for nomadic tribes and with few landmarks. A visible track over this part of the route was laid across the ground by the wheels of an armoured car driven for this purpose, or by a plough pulled by a Fordson tractor
, depending upon the nature of the terrain. 26 emergency landing grounds were made in the desert, several of which included spare tanks of fuel.
In 1926 Imperial Airways
took over the route from the RAF. Using three-engined de Havilland Hercules aircraft of greater range than the Vernons, the route was extended first to Basra
and then to India, as part of an air passenger service.
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
route established by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
following a conference of British military and civil officials held in Cairo in March 1921. The aim was to create an air link between Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Mandate Palestine and British Mandate of Mesopotamia (Iraq), which were under British control following the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The western end of the route was the airfield at Heliopolis
Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)
Modern Heliopolis is a district in Cairo, Egypt. The city was established in 1905 by the Heliopolis Oasis Company, headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain, as well as Boghos Nubar, son of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha.-History:The Baron Empain, a well known...
, on the outskirts of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. The eastern end was at Hinaidi airfield, just south of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. It was intended the route would eventually extend to India.
The route was opened on 23 June 1921 and the first mail was carried on 28 July 1921. The aircraft used were RAF Vickers Vernons, twin-engined biplanes were capable of carrying up to seven passengers and mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
, but, for longer endurance, usually carried a smaller load. Initially the price of mail was 1 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
an ounce, but as the route became established this was reduced to 3d (old pence).
The route was 866 miles long and comprised two sections. The Western third (326 miles) was mostly over the over the well populated coastal plains between the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
and the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
, where there were plenty of landmarks by which to steer. The Eastern section (540 miles) was over the Jordanian and Iraqi deserts, uninhabited except for nomadic tribes and with few landmarks. A visible track over this part of the route was laid across the ground by the wheels of an armoured car driven for this purpose, or by a plough pulled by a Fordson tractor
Fordson tractor
Fordson was a brand name used on a range of mass produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son, Inc, from 1917 until 1920 when it was merged into the Ford Motor Company, which used the name until 1964...
, depending upon the nature of the terrain. 26 emergency landing grounds were made in the desert, several of which included spare tanks of fuel.
In 1926 Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
took over the route from the RAF. Using three-engined de Havilland Hercules aircraft of greater range than the Vernons, the route was extended first to Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
and then to India, as part of an air passenger service.
Sources
- The Baghdad Air Mail, Roderick Hill, Edward Arnold and Co, London 1929. (Republished 2005 by Tempus/Nonesuch, ISBN 1845880099)
- British Air Policy between the Wars 1918 - 1939, H Montgomery Hyde, Heinemann, London 1976, SBN 434 47983 7