Australia Post is commemorating a century of civil aviation in Australia with a new stamp issue.
The Civil Aviation: 100 Years issue recounts the journey of organised and regulated flying in Australia, from the passing of the Air Navigation Act in 1920 to the country’s national and international carrier of today, Qantas, which is in its centenary year.
Philatelic Manager at Australia Post, Michael Zsolt said the stamps honoured an industry that was intrinsically linked with the postal organisation.
“Civil aviation is responsible for so many advancements over these past 100 years, both in terms of safety and in keeping Australians connected,” Mr Zsolt said.
“Because of this, we’ve been able to fly letters on the nation’s early regulated air mail flights and we can now freight millions of letters and parcels around the country.”
Director of Aviation Safety at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Shane Carmody said the stamp issue was a fitting celebration of safety in Australian aviation.
“It was only a few years after the very first flights that people began to appreciate the central role aviation was destined to play in the development of Australia,” Mr Carmody said.
“The men and women in Australia’s aviation industry have a proud heritage and contribute to one of the safest aviation systems in the world.”
Group Chief Customer Officer for Qantas, Stephanie Tully said the airline was proud to be recognised for the important role the national carrier performed in connecting Australia with the rest of the world.
“These stamps represent the pioneering spirit of Australian aviation, which developed relatively early out of the need to connect people in a country as big as ours,” Ms Tully said.
“Qantas started in outback Queensland as a way of improving the mail service, which is something we still do today as the national carrier.”
