The 50th anniversary of the 1st aerial post in India was commemorated with a set 3 stamps on 18th February, 1961.  A special commemorative flight was arranged over the original route.  Special covers for this were issued and mail carried on the special flight received a circular handstamp and were backstamped at Naini.

5p stamp shows the First Aerial Post cancellation, 15p Air India Boeing 707 and Humber Sommer Biplane,

Re.1 H.Pequet flying Humber Sommer plane and "Äerial Post" cancellation.

New lots posted on ebay:  click on the link or copy & paste in a new browser window.

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/amecvi11/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

 

There are a lot of good & interesting items.  First flight covers, FDCs, etc.  There a couple of Gandhi postmark covers, Swiss FDCs etc. 

Also listed are some early Air India covers.

I have listed 10 scarce India International Balloon Mela 1985 flown covers.  Only 100 covers of each were flown on the balloons taking part in the mela. I have never seen these listed on ebay before.  All the covers have details of the balloon, pilot, landing point.

 Here are some previews:

 

Air India First Flight covers

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Air India flew internationally on 8th June, 1948 when its Bombay - London service, via Cairo & Geneva was inaugurated.  A special 12as postage stamp showing a Lockheed Constellation was issued to be used on mails sent on the first flight.  This stamp was valid for one day only.  Mails were postmarked with a special rectangular cachet. The aircraft used was  a Lockheed Constellation L-749A named Malabar Princess, registration VT-CQP.   However, some privately printed first flight covers had the aircraft name printed as "Rajput Princess".  Air India issued special long covers which became their trademark in the next two decades.

 

 I have posted some Air India First Flight covers in the Air India First Flight cover page.  Here are some of the images:

  Cover is signed by the pilot.

  Cover is signed by the pilot.

    Cover is signed by the pilot.

  Cover is signed by the pilot.