COVER N. 389 - FRANCE - DROM-COM - NOUVELLE CALÉDONIE

Postmark: Nouméa Ag.ce Philatélique - Nevlle Calédonie 08-12-2023

Posted on 8 December 2023; received on the 12th January 2024 

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The second Cover I got on the same day from Nouvelle Calédonie, this time thanks to Pierre!

Merci bien, Pierre!

The SNCASE (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est) Caravelle was one of the first really successful jet civil aviation transport aircraft, its maiden flight having taken place in 1955 with its production running between 1956 and 1972, yielding a total of 282 aircraft of all manufactured variants of the type.

Union de Transports Aériens (UTA), a private aviation company established in 1963, ordered two Caravelle 10R, ( a variant of the initial model re-engined with Pratt and Whitney engines, of which only 20 aircraft were made) specifically for the service Nouméa-Sidney, which was operated with these aircraft from 1966 till 1978, although from 1972 on only one of the Caravelles was still in service with UTA since the other had been sold to another company abroad.

The 340 Franc stamp of the series “Avions d’Hier et d’Aujourd’hui” (Aircraft of yesterday and today) illustrated with the image of an UTA Caravelle on approach to Nouméa was issued on 24JUL2023.