Indian National Airways
Indian National Airways Ltd was an airline based in Delhi, India.[1] The founder of the airline was R. E. Grant Govan, a Delhi based British industrialist who also co-founded the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Cricket Club of India.[2][3][4] The airline was formed on the basis of a government airmail contract.[5]
History
[edit]The company was started by Govan Bros Ltd. in May 1933 with a capital of Rs. 3 million.[6] It became the second airline to start operations in India in December 1933, with weekly passenger and freight services from Calcutta to Rangoon and Dhaka.[7] It also started a weekly service between Karachi and Lahore, a feeder service for Imperial Airways.[1] The company then had a fleet made up of light single-engined aircraft.[8] By 1937 the airline had clocked over a million miles and made a slender annual profit.[9]
The airline was awarded another government contract in 1938 under the Empire Air Mail Scheme for carrying first class mail on the Karachi - Lahore and Karachi - Colombo routes for a period of ten years along with Tata Airlines. This was a major boost for aviation in India. As this contract promised a minimum income along with an operating subsidy, the company was able to expand and renovate its fleet.[7][10] During World War II, all mail contracts were suspended and aircraft put under government disposal. Only spare capacity was allowed for commercial use, which affected the industry on the whole.[7]
It was one of the four major airlines in India at the time of Indian Independence in 1947.[11] Govan Bros Ltd. and all its businesses, including Indian National Airways Ltd, was sold to the Ramkrishna Dalmia led Dalmia Group on 4 July 1946. As of 1947, the airline had a fleet of six Vickers Vikings with another nine De Havilland Doves on order.[12] The company also bought some war-surplus Douglas DC-3 aircraft from the United States of America at the end of the war.[13] In 1953, Indian National Airways was nationalised and merged into Indian Airlines.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Khosla, Gopal Das (1966). Award on the industrial dispute between Air-India and their workmen. India. National Industrial Tribunal (Airlines Disputes), Manager of Publications. p. 288.Page 15
- ^ (London, England), East India Association (1957). Asian review. East & West Ltd.Page 105
- ^ Aeroplane directory of British aviation. Published by the English Universities for Temple Press. 1953.Page 458
- ^ Vasant Raiji, Anandji Dossa (1987). CCI & the Brabourne Stadium, 1937-1987. Cricket Club of India. p. 114.Page 22
- ^ India today and tomorrow, Volume 5. V.J. Joseph. 1973.Page 7-9
- ^ Aviation news, Volume 67. HPC Publishing. 2005.Page 845
- ^ a b c d Seth, Pran Nath (2006). Successful Tourism: Volume II: Tourism Practices. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 431. ISBN 81-207-3200-6.Page 93-96
- ^ India: annual review. Information Service of India. 1960.Page 92
- ^ Aeroplane and commercial aviation news. 1947.Page 796
- ^ Boulger, Demetrius Charles (1970). Asian review. East & West.Page 106
- ^ Dr.SC Aggarwal, Dr. RK Rana. Basic Mathematics for Economists. FK Publications. p. 654. ISBN 9788187139553.Page 472
- ^ Hudson Wood, Robert (1947). Aviation news, Volume 7. McGraw-Hill Pub. Co.Page 32
- ^ Reed, Sir Stanley (1949). The Times of India directory and year book including who's who, Volume 35. Bennett, Coleman.Page 275
