Author Description

The third volume in a work recording the history of world's airlines, this book follows on from "Airlines of the USA Since 1914" and "Airlines of Latin America Since 1919". This book covers the entire air transport development in more than 25 countries of Asia, stretching from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west to the countries of the Pacific Rim - the fastest growing air traffic area. The histories of the airlines and their fleets are combined with details of the men who pioneered them. To take one example, the book describes how J.R.D. Tata flew the inaugural Tata mail service in a Puss Moth, and then development operations until they grew into the international airline that is today Air India. During hundred of thousands of miles of air travel covered while researching this book, the author discussed the airlines with the people now running them, and made possible the detailed accounts of airline development in China, Japan and the Philippines. This book should be of interest to the student of air transport, for those in the industry and for aviation historians.