The Maharaja of Indian skies that once ferried Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Prime Ministers and VVIPs bid adieu with last flight out of Mumbai on Monday morning, marking an end of an era for the iconic Boeing 747 of Air India fleet.
The last of the four Boeing 747-400 aircraft parked at Mumbai airport hangar have found a new owner, US based AerSale, the supplier of aftermarket commercial jet engines and parts. The fleet was de-registered by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last year after retirement and Air India had stripped the aircraft of the Maharaja crest and insignia.
Air India's Farewell To Boeing 747
The Air India Boeing 747 with call sign VT EVA had ceased operations in 2021. On Monday, it took to the skies with a temporary US registration N940AS for the final flight. The 747 Agra aircraft, following the aviation tradition, conducted wing wave “good bye” for concluding flight to Plainfield, US, to be dismantled and stripped for parts.
“Another 747 will take flight soon to the US, while two other aircraft in the hangar will be stripped for spares and the shell will be sold to an aviation academy for inflight crew training,” confirmed a senior Air India official.
The 747 heavy duty four engine Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines for long haul Trans-Atlantic flights served as Air India One for President and Prime Minister on international tours and visit to foreign soils.
“The era of 747 has ended with newer fuel efficient planes replaced by most airlines. The few Boeing 747 in operation are mostly used for freight and cargo transport,” explained Air India veteran S Balasubramanian.
Air India's Sustainable Fleet Strategy And Recycling Efforts
Tata group run Air India plans to retire most of the ageing fleet and replace it with fuel efficient modern aircraft while salvaging recyclable parts of metal alloys and composite metals from the dismantled aircraft for spares.
“Commercial aircraft have about 800 to 1,000 recyclable parts that can be used in other aircraft. Other metal parts can be sold as scrap,” said aviation expert Vipul Saxena.
Air India had inducted the Boeing 747 family from 1971 and 2001 and operated a total of 25 aircraft, including nine B747-200B, two B747-300M, 13 B747-400s and a B747-400M type with a dual role as passenger aircraft, on Air India scheduled network and VVIP air transport.
