Here are the first flight covers from various airlines. At the back of the covers are the receiving postmarks of the various locations. The dates indicated are the dates on the cover. It might be a day or two earlier than the actual flight. I have also included special flights, stop-overs on other first flights as well as stage flights. Cross use of Malaysia stamps on flight covers by Singapore flights after separation are also included.
08 February 1930: KNILM Weltevreden – Singapore
29 December 1933: Imperial Airways and Indian Trans-Continental Airways Singapore – London
For further reference on the history of the Imperial Airways Eastern Route, this is an excellent source: http://www.nzstamps.org.uk/air/external/eastern/easternroute.html
14 April 1934: Imperial Airways Kuala Lumpur – London
14 April 1934: Imperial Airways Penang – London
29 June 1935: British Royal Air Corps Manila – Singapore
28 June 1937: Wearne Air Services Singapore – Penang
28 June 1937: Wearne Air Services Kuala Lumpur – Penang
28 June 1937: Wearne Air Services Penang – Kuala Lumpur
28 June 1937: Wearne Air Services Kuala Lumpur – Singapore
30 August 1938: KNILM Batavia – Singapore – Saigon (Singapore – Saigon)
31 August 1938: KNILM Saigon – Singapore – Batavia (Saigon – Singapore)
02 May 1941: Pan American Airways System San Francisco – Singapore
05 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Honolulu – Singapore
09 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Guam – Singapore
09 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Manila – Singapore
10 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Singapore – Manila
10 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Singapore – Guam
10 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Singapore – Honolulu
10 May 1941: Pan American Airways System Singapore – San Francisco
06 October 1950: Calcutta – Singapore
There is no information on the carrier. The cachet was supposed to have been made by the Rotary Club of Calcutta.
13 October 1952: B.O.A.C. London – Singapore
16 October 1952: B.O.A.C. Singapore – London
27 May 1953: Pan American World Airways Singapore – Saigon
02 June 1953: Qantas Coronation Flight Singapore – London
All Qantas Coronation Flight covers includes a flight route card.
02 June 1953: Qantas Coronation Flight Cocos Island – London
03 June 1953: Qantas Coronation Flight London – Singapore
03 June 1953: Qantas Coronation Flight London – Cocos Island
04 September 1955: Qantas Special Stamp Issue Singapore – Various Locations
04 September 1955: Pan American World Airways Special Stamp Issue Singapore – San Francisco
04 September 1955: KLM Special Stamp Issue Singapore – The Hague
04 September 1955: B.O.A.C. Special Stamp Issue Singapore – London
21 November 1955: Qantas Diamond Jubilee Flight Johor Bahru – Sydney
01 November 1956: B.O.A.C. Malayan Airways Anniversary Flight Jesselton – London
31 August 1957: Pan American World Airways Johor Bahru – Various Locations (usually to the USA)
This is the set of brochures in the flight cover.
14 January 1958: Qantas Round The World Flight Sydney – Kuala Lumpur
02 May 1958: SAS Copenhagen – Kuala Lumpur
02 May 1958: SAS Stockholm – Kuala Lumpur
08 May 1958: Japan Air Lines Tokyo – Singapore
09 May 1958: Japan Air Lines Singapore – Tokyo
01 June 1959: B.O.A.C. London – Singapore
04 June 1959: B.O.A.C. Singapore – London
05 June 1959: Pan American Singapore – Jakarta
05 June 1959: Pan American Jakarta – Singapore
27 October 1959: Qantas Singapore – London
30 October 1959: Qantas Singapore – Sydney
02 November 1959: B.O.A.C. Singapore – Sydney
04 November 1959: B.O.A.C. Sydney – Singapore
04 January 1963: Borneo Airways Jesselton – Keningau – Sepulot
The original flight was supposed to be on 21 December 1962. However the date was moved thus a sticker with the new date was stuck onto the original printed date.
03 April 1963: B.O.A.C. Singapore – Auckland
06 April 1963: B.O.A.C. Auckland – Singapore
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Kuala Lumpur – Jesselton
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Singapore – Jesselton
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Kuching – Jesselton
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Brunei – Jesselton
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Jesselton – Kuching
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Jesselton – Singapore
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Jesselton – Kuala Lumpur
10 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Bangkok – Penang
11 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Bangkok – Ipoh
11 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur
11 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok
11 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Ipoh – Bangkok
11 September 1963: Malayan Airways Friendship Flight Penang – Bangkok
04 January 1964: Thai Airways Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur
05 January 1964: Thai Airways Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok
05 April 1965: Lufthansa Singapore – Frankfurt
06 April 1965: Lufthansa Frankfurt – Singapore
06 April 1965: Lufthansa Athens – Singapore
04 September 1965: Qantas Sydney – Kuala Lumpur
04 September 1965: Qantas Kuala Lumpur – London
05 September 1965: Qantas London – Kuala Lumpur
06 September 1965: Qantas Kuala Lumpur – Sydney
06 April 1966: Lufthansa New Delhi – Singapore
07 April 1966: Lufthansa Singapore – New Delhi
02 July 1966: Malaysian Airways Singapore – Manila
01 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Kuala Lumpur – Taipei
01 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Singapore – Taipei
02 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Taipei – Kuala Lumpur
02 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Taipei – Singapore
02 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Taipei – Hong Kong
04 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Singapore – Perth
04 April 1967: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Perth – Singapore
08 May 1967: Japan Air Lines Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur
09 May 1967: Japan Air Lines Kuala Lumpur – Tokyo
18 August 1967: Air India Bombay – Kuala Lumpur
20 August 1967: Air India Kuala Lumpur – Bombay
01 August 1968: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Kuala Lumpur – Tokyo
01 August 1968: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Singapore – Tokyo
02 August 1968: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur
02 August 1968: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Tokyo – Singapore
02 November 1968: B.O.A.C. Schaan – Kuala Lumpur
02 November 1968: B.O.A.C. Zurich – Kuala Lumpur
06 April 1969: SAS Kuala Lumpur – Copenhagen
07 April 1970: Czechoslovak State Airlines Prague – Kuala Lumpur
01 April 1971: Alitalia Rome – Kuala Lumpur
02 August 1972: Malaysia – Singapore Airlines Osaka – Singapore
This is not a first flight cover. However it is an interesting cover in the closing days of Malaysia – Singapore Airlines (MSA) before the split to MAS and SIA. This should be flight ML 631 Osaka – Hong Kong – Bangkok – Singapore.
01 October 1972: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Hong Kong
01 October 1972: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok
03 September 1973: Pan Am Cargo San Francisco – Kuala Lumpur
05 November 1973: KLM Vienna – Cairo
05 November 1973: KLM Vienna – Kuala Lumpur
05 November 1973: KLM Vienna – Jakarta
06 November 1973: SAS Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur
07 November 1973: KLM Kuala Lumpur – Bahrain
04 April 1974: SABENA Brussels – Kuala Lumpur
05 April 1974: SABENA Kuala Lumpur – Brussels
12 June 1974: First Airbus Prototype (A300B1) Flight to Kuala Lumpur
Note: The original aircraft registration was F-WUAB. This registration was changed to F-OCAZ. The aircraft was scrapped on 27 August 1974.
15 July 1975: Concorde Endurance Flight Kuala Lumpur – Bahrain
13 April 1976: Concorde Endurance Flight Kuala Lumpur – Colombo
08 May 1977: Japan Air Lines 10 Years Anniversary Flight Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur
04 April 1977: KLM Dubai – Kuala Lumpur
04 July 1977: SIA Geneva – Kuala Lumpur
05 July 1977: SIA Zurich – Kuala Lumpur
20 November 1979: MAS Madras – Penang
20 November 1979: MAS Madras – Kuala Lumpur
06 January 1980: MAS Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur
01 April 1980: Lufthansa Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur
01 April 1980: Lufthansa Frankfurt – Melbourne
02 April 1980: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Sydney
02 April 1980: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Frankfurt
02 April 1980: Lufthansa Melbourne – Frankfurt
02 April 1980: Lufthansa Sydney – Kuala Lumpur
03 April 1980: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Frankfurt
01 July 1980: Japan Air Lines Osaka – Kuala Lumpur
31 January 1982: Lufthansa Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur
31 January 1982: Lufthansa Dubai – Kuala Lumpur
31 January 1982: Lufthansa Dubai – Melbourne
31 January 1982: Lufthansa Dubai – Sydney
01 February 1982: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Melbourne
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Sydney – Dubai
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Melbourne – Kuala Lumpur
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Melbourne – Dubai
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Dubai
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Frankfurt
02 February 1982: Lufthansa Dubai – Frankfurt
12 April 1982: MAS Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur
30 July 1986: Stampex ’86 Aerophilately Penang – Adelaide
31 July 1986: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Los Angeles
31 July 1986: MAS Los Angeles – Kuala Lumpur
01 January 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – New Delhi
01 January 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Karachi
18 June 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Zurich
19 June 1989: MAS Zurich – Kuala Lumpur
30 November 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Brussels
02 December 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – London
02 December 1989: Lufthansa Frankfurt – Kuala Lumpur
04 December 1989: Lufthansa Kuala Lumpur – Frankfurt
06 December 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Istanbul
06 December 1989: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Auckland
29 October 1990: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Vienna
31 October 1990: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Nagoya
31 October 1990: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Brisbane
08 November 1990: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Darwin
08 November 1990: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Adelaide
31 March 1991: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Beijing
01 April 1991: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Kaohsiung
08 April 1991: Czechoslovak State Airlines Prague – Kuala Lumpur
08 July 1991: EVA Air Taipei – Kuala Lumpur
01 June 1992: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Munich
05 June 1992: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Madrid
18 July 1992: MAS Barcelona Olympic Team Flight Kuala Lumpur – Zurich
25 October 1992: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Mexico City
26 October 1992: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Johannesburg
30 March 1993: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Surabaya
31 October 1993: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Cebu
23 March 1994: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Cape Town
28 March 1994: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Buenos Aires
29 March 1994: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Rome
04 September 1994: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Osaka
16 April 1995: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Tokyo
17 April 1995: MAS Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur
03 November 1995: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Vancouver
02 April 1996: Japan Air Lines Kuala Lumpur – Osaka
27 October 1996: China Southern Airlines Shanghai – Kuala Lumpur
09 June 1997: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Munich
26 October 1997: Lauda Air Vienna – Kuala Lumpur
09 December 2010: AirAsia X Haneda – Kuala Lumpur
01 July 2012: MAS Kuala Lumpur – London
02 July 2012: MAS London – Kuala Lumpur
01 March 2013: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Paris
02 March 2013: MAS Paris – Kuala Lumpur
01 March 2017: Cathay Dragon Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur
01 March 2017: Kuala Lumpur – Hong Kong
22 May 2017: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Nanjing
20 June 2017: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Wuhan
26 June 2017: MAS Kuala Lumpur – Fuzhou
The cover was postmarked on 23 June 2017 as the last day before the festival closure from 24 – 27 June 2017.
28 June 2017: Air Asia Kuala Lumpur – Honolulu
To Be Continued.
Hi there, I’m writing a book about the history of my hometown “Keningau” and I was wondering if I could use one of your FDC “04 January 1963: Borneo Airways Jesselton – Keningau – Sepulot” for my book.
I’ll give you credit by writing your name under “illustration credits”
Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Abednigo,
I am honour and delighted that you will feature the cover in your book. I had the pleasure of working in Keningau in my younger days. Extremely friendly people!
sky52200
Hi FDC,
I am thoroughly impressed by your collection of FDCs on inaugural services to and from Kuala Lumpur by various airlines. I am in the process of building an FB page showcasing the Malaysian aviation history through the years, and thought i could use some of yours, since it depicts the important dates of inaugural flights in the country.
It will be duly acknowledged to you.
Hope to hearing from you soon.
Regards
Mutalib
Hi En Mutalib,
I will be honoured. Feel free to use the images of the covers. Please note that there is an overlap during the period where Malaysia stamps can be used in Singapore and the transition during MSA.
Best wishes on your project!
sky52200
Thank you very much! Your advice is duly noted.
Mutalib