MAILS BY AIR.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20490, 8 March 1932, Page 15

MAILS BY AIR.

INCREASED USE LAST YEAR. BRITAIN'S NEW AEROPLANE. (FEOSI OUK OWB CORM«PO*DEXT.) LONDON, January 28. Official announcement of a marked increase in the use of the air mail services in 1931 provides a fitting background for the decision of the Air Ministry lo order a high-speed mail-carry-ing aeroplane which shall embouy all the requirements laid down in a specification placed before British constructors towards the end of 1930. The machine will be designed for -a cruising speed of more than 150 lu.p.h. Two pilots, a load of 10001b of mail, and fuel for 1000 miles nonstop, must be carried, and provision made for elaborate navigational equipment suitable for night and day flying. Several of the machines jjlanned by British designers appear capable of considerably exceeding even these severe requirements, and the new craft is confidently expected to attain a maximum speed of 200 m.p.li. The big increase in the use of airmail services during 1931 indicates the steady growth of public confidence in the areoplane. Altogether 52.4 tons of letters were carried by air out of England, an increase of 29 per cent, over the figure for 1930, and of no less than 71 per cent, over 1929. Nor was the improvement due only to the opening of new services; the greater part of the rise is attributable to increased public use of the established services. Tlie Indian line, which also serves Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine, took 52,509 lb of outward letter mail from this country. The Central African service, established last year, carried 54571b of letters, and the European air services accounted for 36,0941b, representing an increase of no less than 38 per cent, over the previous year's results. Records were broken bv the Christmas mail to India, which aggregated well over two tons. On December 12th the mail weighed nearly one ton, which is the highest figure ever attained for a single flieht by any air service from this country.