The World's First Scheduled Aerial Post
The first flight of the Aerial Post took place on 9 September 1911 between Windsor and Hendon. Although it lasted less than a month, this was the world's first-ever regularly scheduled airmail service, established as part of the celebrations for the coronation of King George V.
It was not the world's first carriage of mail by air, however. As early as 1870 in the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, balloon mail was used at a rate of 20 centimes per letter. However, it was the Wright Brothers' first heavier-than-air flight in 1903 that created the potential of a regular point-to-point air mail service.
Flying into the future
After the first scheduled aerial post ended there were more experiments and pioneering flights.
You may also be interested in...
Empire Mail
King George V and the General Post Office
A look at the extraordinary period of design and innovation at the General Post Office during George V's reign.
Post Office Circulars
Circulars can be a valuable source of information for local postal historians
Circulars were published weekly as a way of informing staff about changes to mail services and much more.
