RAK Airways Destinations, c.2009

The a web graphic from the erstwhile RAK Airways, showing what was probably the maximum extent of that airline's reach: a 7,000-km span across the Arab world to southern Asia, from Cairo to Calicut to Chittagong. The national airline of the emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah seemed to be marketing feeder traffic for guest workers throughout the region, sourced mainly from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Egypt. The airline's short Wikipedia page recounts the interesting saga of its launch, suspension, rebirth and second death, while the airline's Facebook page, last updated in December 2013 (shortly before the airline's final demise), has some nice photos of its pair of A320s during its 2.0 iteration. Scrolling back through the social media posts reveals that Amman and Kozhikode, not shown above, were part of the second generation. The airline's original website, meanwhile, now hosts a curious flow of long-form, contemplative text on contemporary travel. 

The airline's home base, Ras Al-Khaimah International Airport, has partially recovered from the collapse; it now hosts operations by low-cost Air Arabia and Air India Express to many of the same destinations as RAK Airways, as well as charter flights from Germany, Latvia, Poland and Russia to the hot-sand beach resorts of the northeastern United Arab Emirates. 

Evening departures from Bahrain International Airport

Gulf Air continues to dominate the evening flight board out of Bahrain, with flights to Jeddah, Dubai (both DXB and DWC), Kuwait, Riyadh and Muscat. In addition, nearly all the major flag carriers of the Middle East are present: Emirates to Dubai, Etihad to Abu Dhabi, Qatar to Doha, Kuwait Airways to Kuwait, Iran Air to Mashhad, and Saudia to Riyadh, and Royal Jordanian to Amman. Low-cost Air Arabia flies to Sharjah. at 6:40, as does Air India Express to Kochi—the only flight outside the Gulf. 

Air India: Bombay-Lusaka, June 1980

Thirty-two years ago, Air India had a much wider reach than today. Air India of a quarter-century ago had more service to African than the airline does to southeast Asia. Here is a special cover from the Indian Posts and Telegraphs ministry celebrating the first flight to Lusaka, Zambia, from Bombay.

The trademark Maharaja makes an appearance, bowing his head next to the dark and perfectly crisp cancellation stamp, underneath a postmark with a lovely illustration of an AI jumbo in flight (although surely this was not used to central Africa). However it is the resplendent peacock which dominates the decoration, its head not bent in supplication but turned back to admire its own fan of plumage.

Although Air India once served not only Zambia but also Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania (as recently as 2006), Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria, today it does not land on African soil at all.

Air India: the Gulf Routes, c.2012

Air India has more routes to the Gulf than what remains of its European, North American, or nonexistent African network but still the coverage is spare. Cairo is not served, Kuwait is farmed out, and there is no direct service from such megacities as Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad or Amritsar (that latter three not even shown here) but only from the Keralan coastal centers of Kozhikode, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Major Gulf hubs such as Doha and Bahrain are also absent. The label for Abu Dhabi is far removed from its dot, also. Everything about the contemporary Air India, a sad shadow of its former self, indicates an airline out of focus.

Air India: International Routes, c. 2012

Air India's global reach appears more comprehensive at first than it really is given this map's format. Once it is understood that the red lines indicate other air carriers, Air India's operations are in proper perspective: most of the cities on the map are unnecessary, including those such as Chicago which Air India served for years but flies to no more. In fact, the state carrier of one of the world's largest countries incredibly serves fewer than 25 international cities. Note the non-stop from Frankfurt to Amritsar, and another from Bangalore to Singapore, and that Kolkata has no international services. The world of Air India is rather diminutive.

The following post will detail the inset of the Middle Eastern routes.

Air India: Bombay-Kuwait, October 1960

Air India's mascot, the Maharaja, meets a Sheikh and presents him a flower on the occasion of Air India's inaugural Bombay-Kuwait service in October 1960. No information about intermediate stops or aircraft is included.

Air India: Entebbe-Bombay, October 1968

Returning back from Bombay to East Africa on nearly the same day, this envelope celebrates the launch of service from India to Uganda in October 1968, with a Boeing 707. Its not clear whether this is the same flight as that which landed at Addis Ababa, or a dedicated service.

The kindergarten-crayon, juice-box colored illustration is a curious choice, with a sort of bizarre parade of the Maharaja riding a leopard, either chasing or marching alongside a slender, bejeweled but barefoot woman, balancing a bunch of green bananas on her bun. On the first envelope, this at least fits the gorgeous colors of the tropical bird on the Ugandan stamp.

Air India: Addis Ababa-Bombay, October 1968

A first-flight cover for Air India from Addis Ababa to Bombay on 27 October 1968, which the cancellation stamp states was flown by a Boeing 707, without information on any intermediate stops. Compare the cartoonish Maharaja's donkey with the Ethiopian Stamp's stately stallions of the orthodox icons.

Air India: Worldwide, December 2006

A colorful but confusing route map from Air India. Air India's global network is complicated enough, with its "scissors hubs", necessary due to the distance between North America and the sub-continent, routing passengers via London and Frankfurt. The use of red lines for the code-share services is somewhat obfuscating, making the network seem larger and more global than it is, as the eye naturally focuses on the brighter colors.

Comparing to the previous post, there is a general, though not extensive, expansion to East Asia. several cities in Europe are served; East Africa is part of the network. More cities in the United States are connected. What is most surprisingly is the total retreat from the Gulf region; only Dubai is served between the Mediterranean and the hub at Mumbau.

Air India, worldwide network, c.1960

Via either Comet or Boeing 707 to five continents, from the Statue of Liberty to the wildlife of East Africa, the beefeaters of Buckingham to the geishas of the Ginza. Note the dense intra-European network.

Air India:Bombay to Seychelles, 1976

Celebrating inaugural of Air India's June 1976 service from Bombay to Seychelles with a mermaid/kama sutra-in-seashell theme.

Air India: Bombay-Accra

Air India once served more than 10 African cities, as this fantastic first-day cover from December 1976 attests. The continent of Africa has a large population of Indians, who are noticeable as the merchant class everywhere from Monrovia to Mombasa, Kampala to Cape Town. As late as mid-2003, Air India maintained a Mumbai-Nairobi-Accra route. However, the flag carrier is currently thin on African routes; sadly, its last African destination, mighty Nairobi, will end on 20 January 2010. While Kenya Airways serves Mumbai, a good share of Africa-India traffic is probably routed through Dubai nowadays.