✈️ VT on Indian Aircraft Doesn’t Mean “Victoria's/Viceroy’s Territory” — And It Never Did

For years, a myth has circulated on WhatsApp, social media, and even in Parliament—that the “VT” prefix on Indian aircraft stands for “Victoria's / Viceroy’s Territory.” A claim so widespread that it forced DGCA and the Aeronautical Society of India to investigate it in 2016, thanks to an MP raising it as a national shame.

Let’s set the record straight—with aviation history, not forwards.

📜 The Real Story:

The “VT” prefix doesn’t stand for anything colonial. It was assigned to India under the International Radio Communication Convention of 1928, which allocated call signs to countries for radio-equipped ships and, eventually, aircraft.

Here’s how it happened:

• In the early 20th century, radio call signs were introduced for civil ships and later extended to aircraft.

• Big powers like the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and the USA chose prefixes like G, F, D, C, and N/W/K, respectively.

• The UK got the letter “V” and began assigning its colonies two-letter extensions:

  • Australia: VH

  • India: VT

• Why H for Australia and T for India? Nobody knows. But it definitely wasn't Viceroy’s Territory.

🛫 So Why Does India Still Use VT?

Post-independence, India kept the VT prefix for practicality.
Pakistan chose AP, not PA, to jump ahead in alphabetical order.
Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) moved from VT-C-XXXX to 4R by 1954 to mark its identity.

📌 The Takeaway:

“VT” is just a legacy call sign from international aviation radio standards—not a colonial insult.
Don’t let WhatsApp forwards rewrite aviation history.

At Skyline Aviation LLP, we love aviation, and we love facts. Let’s keep flying forward—with knowledge and altitude.