The first official airmail from the Netherlands to abroad

The heyday of collecting envelopes issued on the occasion of 'first flights' is long gone. However, first flights still take place where postal items can be included. Usually, if one limits oneself to the Netherlands, these are KLM flights to a foreign destination. In this regard, a distinction can be made between a first flight on a newly opened route and a first flight of a specific aircraft type on an existing route. But when did the first official mail flight take place? The answer is easy to find, because on July 5, 1960, a commemorative flight took place from Amsterdam to London. This was to mark the fact that the first mail flight had taken place. Unfortunately, I do not have an envelope that traveled on that first mail flight, because only 300 of them went with the KLM/AT&T afternoon service of July 5, 1920. And not that many of those have been preserved. AT&T stands for Aircraft Transport & Travel Ltd. An airplane is depicted on the commemorative envelope. However, the aircraft piloted by WGR Hinchliffe was a De Havilland 9 with registration letters G-EAPU, and not H-NAQP as can be read on the fuselage. In 1920, KLM also flew with leased foreign aircraft and foreign pilots. It was not until August 25, 1920, that KLM began flying with its own aircraft. The flight has become very famous. Just before London's Croydon airfield, the pilot had to make a landing in a meadow. Visibility was minimal due to the fog. After landing, he asked for directions and took off again. After searching for an hour, he ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing at Penshurst, about 21 miles from Croydon. Hinchliffe took the mail from the plane and traveled to London by taxi. He was able to deliver the mail just in time for the final delivery. In a written press release dated July 3, 1920, drafted by the director of the Amsterdam Post Office, it was announced for the first time that it was possible to send mail by airmail. It specified exactly where mail items could be submitted for the first airmail flight: The Director of the Post Office in Amsterdam announces that items to be sent by airmail to Great Britain and Ireland on departure days starting from the 5th of this month may be submitted to the Head Office (Counter 1) and to the Mercurius Branch Office until one o'clock in the afternoon; registered mail (without declared value) until 12:30 noon at the latest. Furthermore, ordinary and registered correspondence for dispatch by airmail service may also be submitted to the Tulpplein, Amstel, and Kerkstraat Branch Offices until 12:30 noon at the latest. The letter is reproduced in the book 'Luchtvaart en Luchtpost encyclopedie deel 1' by JLCM TSchroots and HHC TSchroots-Boer. For the post office officials themselves, the first official opportunity to send mail by airmail was announced in Service Order 556 of July 1, 1920. Back to the envelope from 1960. 40.000 pieces of mail were transported on the KLM aircraft, a Vickers Viscount PH-VIG named 'Sir Charles E. Kingsford Smith', flown by pilot P. Snitselaar. 'Special Flights' stamps were permitted for the flight. This covered the international rate of 30 cents. The two stamps were postmarked on July 5, 1960, at Amsterdam Central Station. Upon arrival in London, an impression was made of a stamp 'Arrived by KL 127 London W1 5-7-1960'. However, I would have preferred an envelope that traveled with the first flight in 1920, a wish that will probably never be fulfilled. Should you be interested in airmail? Then please contact 'De Vliegende Hollander'. Website: http://www.de-vliegende-hollander.com/.