France Aviation postage stamps year 1950-1980 MNH

France issued a variety of aviation-themed postage stamps between 1950 and 1980, primarily as high-denomination Airmail (Poste Aérienne) stamps and later as commemorative issues for famous aircraft or aviation anniversaries.

✈️ Notable Aviation Stamp Issues (1950–1980)

The most significant and recognizable stamps in this period were often high-value definitive airmails and specific commemoratives featuring iconic French aircraft.

Year	Theme/Aircraft Featured	Denomination(s)	Notes
1950	Paris Airmail (1,000 Fr.)	1,000 Francs	High-value Airmail definitive depicting an airplane over Paris. This followed a series of scenic airmail stamps from the late 1940s.
1957	Morane-Saulnier MS. 760 “Paris”	300 Francs	A commemorative stamp featuring the French four-seat jet trainer/liaison aircraft.
1960	French Aircraft Set	2 Fr. to 10 Fr.	A set of stamps depicting various modern French aircraft, including the Sud Aviation Caravelle (jet airliner), the Sud Aviation Alouette II (helicopter), and the Morane-Saulnier MS. 760 ‘Paris’.
1968	First Airmail Flight Paris-New York (1927)	1.00 Franc	A commemorative marking the 40th anniversary of the first airmail flight between the cities.
1971	Air Service Anniversaries (various)	Varies	Commemorative issues featuring early aviation pioneers and events.

📯 Focus on Airmail (Poste Aérienne)

During this period, France continued its tradition of issuing a separate series of definitive stamps specifically for Airmail. These stamps typically used the prefix PA in the Yvert & Tellier catalogue or C in the Scott catalogue.

1950s: The use of distinct, high-denomination Airmail stamps was common, often featuring designs like stylized aircraft, the Paris cityscape, or famous aviators.
1960s–1980s: While dedicated Airmail stamps became less frequent as all denominations increasingly covered airmail service, commemorative issues featuring aircraft (like the 1960 aircraft set) continued to be released under the general postage (or occasionally, the semi-postal) category.