In a remote corner of Kolkata airport, a Boeing 737 belonging to Air India sat decaying. The Star Alliance carrier, which was privatised three years ago with the sale to Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, this week took steps to sell this airplane, which has been grounded for over a decade. According to multiple media outlets, the Boeing 737-200 cargo-configured aircraft was ‘forgotten’ about.

The new owners of Air Indiaa were only recently notified of their ownership of the abandoned aircraft, which prompted the airline to trace the plane’s origins and history. Since this revelation, the aircraft has been sold.

A Forgotten Aircraft

Decommissioned back in 2012, the aircraft had previously been flying under Air India for the India Post. The aircraft was eventually retired from these services and was stored in a remote parking bay at Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU). The aircraft’s presence was only recently flagged, a surprise to the airline, which led to it tracing its ownership.

The airline’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, noted in a communication to his employees, as reported by The Telegraph India, that while the disposal of an aircraft is normal, the discovery of one they didn’t even realise they owned was something rather new:

“Though disposal of an old aircraft is not unusual, this one is – for it’s an aircraft that we didn’t even know we owned until recently!”

VT-EHH

According to data from ch-aviation, the Boeing 737-200 (serial number 22863) took its first test flight back on August 30, 1981. It was subsequently delivered to Indian Airlines on September 8, 1982, where it was registered under VT-EHH. The aircraft flew for the state-owned carrier, Indian Airlines, which was eventually merged into Air India. The aircraft was then shifted under Alliance Air (formerly Air India Regional), where it provided regional flights from February 2, 1998, through to July 4, 2007.

The aircraft was converted into a freighter, where Air India operated for India Post; however shows records of being stored in August of 2007. The aircraft, according to Airfleets, also took on an alter ego as a restaurant, where it notes it was ‘preserved since 07/2019 as a restaurant’. During its time of operations, the aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17A engines.

Such a unique piece of aviation history for the new owners of Air India was apparently forgotten about and not included in the asset records that were transferred to Tata when they took over the Indian flag carrier.

Air India Fleet Today

The latest records show that the current fleet of Air India includes a range of narrow and widebody planes, which include the Airbus A319, A320, A320neo, A321, and A321neo, which support domestic and short-haul international operations. The widebody fleet is currently composed of the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing aircraft, including the 777-200LR, 777-300ER, 787-8, and 787-9. The carrier also has several new airplanes on order, including up to 210 A321neo, 19 A350-900, 25 A350-1000, ten 777-9 (also known as the 777X), and 20 additional 787-9.

There are several airplanes still sporting previous operator liveries, such as those from Vistara. These are set to be repainted gradually, to ensure a more uniform look across the carrier’s fleet. Vistara Airlines was a premium full-service airline created through a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. It had operated both domestic, short-haul international, and long-haul international services with a fleet of narrowbody and widebody aircraft. The airline merged with Air India and is now fully integrated into the airline.

Air India operates today from its main hub at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), with secondary hubs located at Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM). Additional focus cities are present at Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram. Its ownership is now made up by the Tata Group with a 74-9% share, and Singapore Airlines (25.1%). It serves 87 domestic and international destinations, and is the second largest carrier in India after IndiGo when measured by passengers served.