Stamps commemorate the Vienna-Kyiv line (12/03/00)

Stamps commemorate the Vienna-Kyiv line

The Austrian Postal Administration has commemorated the first regular international airmail service on two occasions. The first was a stamp produced for the philatelic exposition "Luposta Wien 1961," which showed the Brandenburg aircraft used in making the first airmail run (A).

A more recent stamp recalling the Vienna-Kyiv service was released in 1989 for "Postage Stamp Day." Depicted was the take-off of the first flight from Vienna's Aspern airport on March 20, 1918 (B). The stamp vignette is modeled on the photo of the first flight (Figure 1), with several figures added to the foreground by the artist designer.

Mention should also be made of another commemoration of this international mail service. In 1993, just two years after regaining its independence and 75 years after the Vienna-Kyiv route was inaugurated, Ukraine issued a stamp (part of a two-stamp set) depicting the Brandenburg aircraft used on the first flight to Kyiv (C). Interestingly, this stamp set was prepared at the Austrian State Printing Office in Vienna, because Ukraine would not acquire the printing facilities to produce its own stamps for another year.

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