MUMBAI/DELHI: Of the hundreds of jets that departed Mumbai on Monday, there was one particular big plane that lifted off the runway and then did a small jig, banking its wings up and down, bidding a final good-bye. Captured by plane spotters, it was this signature farewell maneuver which signalled that the Air India Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet had made its final departure from India, its home ground for over four decades.
Air India sold its last remaining four Boeing 747-400s to Aersale, a US company which deals in aged commercial jets. The jumbo, VT-EVA, named ‘Agra’, was the first of the four jets to depart. Air India operated its last jumbo jet flight in March 2021 from Delhi to Mumbai.
The Tata Group decided to sell off the jumbos as these are uneconomical compared to the current lot of fuel-efficient jets.
The jumbo’s ‘wing wave’ tugged at heartstrings on social media, but the elephant in the room was the manner in which the aircraft was sent off, sans a farewell.
The aircraft took off for Plainfield, US, where it will be cannibalised, stripped for spare parts.
“A new aircraft joins an airline fleet with much publicity and fanfare, with a water salute by the fire engines when it touches down. In its decades of service, the Air India B747 has flown presidents and prime ministers, it has carried out mass evacuation of Indians from war-torn countries. The plane is a crucial part of India’s aviation history. India should have given it a fond farewell and retained one B747 to be kept in a museum for the generations to come,” said Capt Manoj Hathi, former director (operations), Air India.
“It was sad the way they sent it off. The aircraft was covered in dust, not even given a final wash,” he said, adding that other airlines such as the British Airways, for instance, had a proper farewell for its B747.
Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor tweeted: “Sad to see the end of an era. The 747s were the pinnacle of JRD Tata’s Air India…wish one could have been retained in his honour as a museum.” To be sure, these are the Boeing 747-400s, the later versions of the jumbo jet. The Boeing 747 classic, the first of the jumbo to join Air India fleet from March 1971 onwards, has long left India.
Air India tweeted: “Today, we wave goodbye to the first of our last ‘Queen of the Skies’, the B747, departing Mumbai. Thank you for an era of majestic flights. We’ll miss your iconic presence.”
Nomadic Aviation Group managing partner Steven Giordano said: “A local team of Engineers from the Air India MRO facility and on-site technical representatives for Aersale (the purchaser) have been getting the aircraft ready for flight for several months with inspections, engine runs, and return-to-service actions. The aircraft have been de-registered and placed on the FAA (United States) registry. An FAA Designated Airworthiness Inspector (DAR-T) from the New York field office has/will sign off each special airworthiness certificate prior to flight which will permit ‘one-time’ operations for the purpose of the ferry flight.
Air India sold its last remaining four Boeing 747-400s to Aersale, a US company which deals in aged commercial jets. The jumbo, VT-EVA, named ‘Agra’, was the first of the four jets to depart. Air India operated its last jumbo jet flight in March 2021 from Delhi to Mumbai.
The Tata Group decided to sell off the jumbos as these are uneconomical compared to the current lot of fuel-efficient jets.
The jumbo’s ‘wing wave’ tugged at heartstrings on social media, but the elephant in the room was the manner in which the aircraft was sent off, sans a farewell.
The aircraft took off for Plainfield, US, where it will be cannibalised, stripped for spare parts.
“A new aircraft joins an airline fleet with much publicity and fanfare, with a water salute by the fire engines when it touches down. In its decades of service, the Air India B747 has flown presidents and prime ministers, it has carried out mass evacuation of Indians from war-torn countries. The plane is a crucial part of India’s aviation history. India should have given it a fond farewell and retained one B747 to be kept in a museum for the generations to come,” said Capt Manoj Hathi, former director (operations), Air India.
“It was sad the way they sent it off. The aircraft was covered in dust, not even given a final wash,” he said, adding that other airlines such as the British Airways, for instance, had a proper farewell for its B747.
Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor tweeted: “Sad to see the end of an era. The 747s were the pinnacle of JRD Tata’s Air India…wish one could have been retained in his honour as a museum.” To be sure, these are the Boeing 747-400s, the later versions of the jumbo jet. The Boeing 747 classic, the first of the jumbo to join Air India fleet from March 1971 onwards, has long left India.
Air India tweeted: “Today, we wave goodbye to the first of our last ‘Queen of the Skies’, the B747, departing Mumbai. Thank you for an era of majestic flights. We’ll miss your iconic presence.”
Nomadic Aviation Group managing partner Steven Giordano said: “A local team of Engineers from the Air India MRO facility and on-site technical representatives for Aersale (the purchaser) have been getting the aircraft ready for flight for several months with inspections, engine runs, and return-to-service actions. The aircraft have been de-registered and placed on the FAA (United States) registry. An FAA Designated Airworthiness Inspector (DAR-T) from the New York field office has/will sign off each special airworthiness certificate prior to flight which will permit ‘one-time’ operations for the purpose of the ferry flight.