Air Services of India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Services of India was a private airline based at Juhu Aerodrome[1] in Mumbai, India. The airline was merged into the Indian Airlines Corporation in 1953.
The airline was formed in 1936 and initially served routes on the Kathiawar Peninsula and to Poona.[2] with aircraft like the de Havilland Dragonfly, Airspeed Courier, Percival Vega Gulls and de Havilland Fox Moth. In the beginning of 1939, it opened a new line between Kolhapur and the Juhu Aerodrome. The thrice-a-week service was officially inaugurated by the Maharaja of Kolhapur, who showed considerable interest in the project and subsidised the service and built an airport at Kolhapur.[3]
In 1941, Air Services of India was purchased by The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. and became known as the Scindia line.[2] Services resumed on 3 May 1946 after World War II with a small fleet of De Havilland Dragon Rapides and 11 former United States Air Force Douglas C-47 Skytrains converted for civilian use.[4] Air Services of India was the only airline using the French-built Sud-Ouest Corse for civilian purposes, having two of them in their fleet.[5] By 1953, when the Air Corporations Act was passed, it had an extensive network from Cochin to Lucknow and became Line 7 of the Indian Airlines Corporation.[6]
