NINETY YEARS OF AVIATION IN AUSTRIA

Between the wars in Aspern

All but six of the hangars in Aspern had to be destroyed after the war. Except for one miserable aviation meeting in 1921, there was nothing happening in Aspern. Until 1923 two thirds of the airfield and its hangars had to be reserved for the airplanes of the allied powers. This benefitted the French-Romanian Air line Franco-Roumaine, which operated daily flights between Prague-Vienna- Budapest beginning on May 2 1922, and subsequently added flights from Vienna to Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Strassbourg and Paris on July 16 1922.

This cancel is on an envelope posted from Vienna to Prag in 1923. [The return address on the back is "Jockey Club, Wien"!]

With the largely regained freedom in civilian, and consequently also in postal areas, the founding of an Austrian Aviation company (Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG or ÖLAG) became possible, which started operations on May 14 on the Vienna-Munich route. The first transportation of airmail to Munich occurred on May 22 1923. The airplanes did not start or land in Aspern, but used the waters of the Danube near Jedlesee. With an extension to Budapest, where no suitable airfield could be found, it was the only way to service both. The first airmail to Budapest was flown on July 16th 1923.

During the following year (1924) ÖLAG moved its operations to Aspern. During a strike by railway workers in November 1924 new records were established for the transport of passengers and goods. Within only five days, the totals included 205 passengers, 1540 kg baggage, 2012 kg freight, 1979 kg mail and 1673 kg newspapers. At the time the daily newspapers reported that the new airport had experienced a remarkable and unexpected upturn with daily totals of forty passengers and 1000 kg freight and mail. All airmail sendings went via the post office Wien 1, where they were back-stamped with this airmail cancel. Transport to and from Aspern was handled by either the airline or by mail lorries, according to the existing regulations.

In 1925 a large scale extension of the Aspern airport began: new buildings for passport and customs controls, a restaurant, waiting room for passengers, and finally, on August 1, a separate post office (Flugfeld Wien-Aspern, Postamt Wien 1, which at first was only responsible for letters.
As well as the FLUGPOST cancel, the post office had a violet Postablage cancel, known used from 1926 until June 1928 [Kühnel 257]. Both cancels appear on the first illustration below, which is of a card flown on the first Vienna-Ostend-Antwerp flight.

The next illustration is of a card to Lodz dated 26-Oct-1926. The FLUGPOST cancel is concealed by the message.

In addition to regular air traffic, the old idea of sport flying, the real beginning of the airport in Aspern, became established again. Aviation days were held in 1925 and 1926 with the then immensely popular German flying ace Ernst Udet. In his 1946 novel 'The Devil's General', the German writer Carl Zuckmayer, a friend of Udet, created a literary monument for Udet.

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