airmail

airmail, letters and parcels transported by airplanes. Airmail service was initiated in 1911 in England between Hendon (northwest of London) and Windsor, to celebrate the coronation of George V. Service was irregular, however, and only 21 trips were made. Continuous regular air transport of letters between London and Paris was established in 1919, and a similar service for parcels in 1921. Other European air links soon followed. Regular airmail service in the United States was begun in 1918 between Washington, D.C., and New York City, using War Department planes and pilots. The first transcontinental airmail service was established in 1920, between San Francisco and New York City.

The superiority of air transport for long-distance continental and intercontinental mail routes soon became apparent. Airmail service was extended to Egypt, Karāchi, Singapore, and other parts of the British Empire in the 1920s and ’30s. Regular transpacific airmail service, from San Francisco to the Philippines (with several stops in between), began in 1935, and regular airmail service across the North Atlantic began in 1939. Since 1946 airmail services have developed rapidly to provide a network connecting Europe and North America with all parts of the world. There are still areas, however, such as in Africa, in which airmail services are relatively poor or incomplete. Air transport of first-class mail without a surcharge has become common within Europe and the United States. Intercontinental air transport of mail is still usually accompanied by a surcharge.