First of four (ex Air India) Boeing 747-400 aircraft departs India
In 2021, we wrote about the Air India 747 aircraft being retired from service. However, some avgeeks did not believe when it was going to happen, and this made Air India issue a statement stating that the aircraft was going to be a part of the fleet for the foreseeable future. However, after the privatisation of the airline, one of the first actions was the quiet retirement of these birds.
Last week, we reported that the four Boeing 747-400s that Air India used to operate were sold to a US-based firm. Word on the street is that two aircraft might be converted to freighters, and two might be parted out.
The first of the four aircraft to be prepared for departure was VT-EVA, the last 747 aircraft to be pulled out of service. Here is N940AS, the temporary registration under which the aircraft was prepared to be flown out of India.
Boeing 747-400 (ex Air India) (Photo Courtesy Utkarsh Thakkar)
Air India’s engineering team, AIESL (a standalone MRO now), and Vman Aero Services worked on making the aircraft ready to depart from India. Here is a picture that Air India’s CTO, Sisira Dash, posted. This is the team that worked on getting VT-EVO ready to depart from India.
The aircraft is being ferried to Paine Field (from where it was delivered in October 1996), and will make a non-stop flight back to PAE. One of the best in the business, the Nomadic Aviation Group, has been tasked with the ferry flight. They posted pictures of the inside of the aircraft as it got ready for departure.
L👀k what we have here! The first of several ex @airindia B747-400 PAX aircraft that were moving from Mumbai to the USA.
#avgeek #thequeen #b747 #airindia pic.twitter.com/d9WAIx3RBY
— Nomadic Aviation Group 🇺🇸 (@Nomadic_OMD) April 21, 2024
The aircraft took off from Mumbai this morning at about 10:45 AM IST and made a fabulous wing wave on departure.
I had the pleasure of being on the final passenger flight of the Air India Boeing 747-400 in March 2021, so I am tearful as I talk about its departure.
Bottomline
Air India’s first of four remaining 747-400 aircraft have departed India. These aircraft will be flown to the United States, where some will be parted out, and others will be converted into freighters.
What do you feel about the 747s going away for good?
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