How Kolkata’s forgotten Air India jets exposed a decade-long lapse in oversight

A decades-old Boeing 737 that sat untouched at Kolkata airport for over ten years has exposed a surprising lapse in Air India’s records. The vintage jet, grounded since 2012, was finally shifted out earlier this month and transported by road to Bengaluru. Airline officials admitted they were unaware the aircraft was still technically theirs until airport authorities flagged it. The plane had vanished from documentation during the carrier’s ownership transition. Its removal now frees space for new infrastructure at the airport. The jet will now serve as a training asset for maintenance trainees.

Air India’s leadership acknowledged the oversight in a message to employees, calling the discovery highly unusual. The chief executive noted that retiring old aircraft is routine, but losing track of one entirely is not. The aircraft had slipped out of internal logs during the complex handover that accompanied privatisation. With engines intact, it stood out among other retired jets disposed of over the years. Kolkata airport also collected long-pending parking dues for the period it occupied apron space. Officials described the episode as an administrative blind spot now being rectified.

Records trace the aircraft’s journey back to 1982 when it first flew for Indian Airlines. Over the years, it moved between different units, including Alliance Air, before returning for cargo duties. After the merger that formed the unified Air India group, it continued briefly before being deployed for postal operations. Its final flight took place more than a decade ago before being permanently grounded. Despite its age, the aircraft remained structurally intact all these years. Its transfer marks the end of a long service life spanning multiple roles.

Air India’s leadership acknowledged the oversight in a message to employees, calling the discovery highly unusual. The chief executive noted that retiring old aircraft is routine, but losing track of one entirely is not. The aircraft had slipped out of internal logs during the complex handover that accompanied privatisation. With engines intact, it stood out among other retired jets disposed of over the years. Kolkata airport also collected long-pending parking dues for the period it occupied apron space. Officials described the episode as an administrative blind spot now being rectified.

The jet taken off the Kolkata airport premises on November 14 had been idle for more than ten years, unnoticed within Air India’s system. The aircraft, a vintage Boeing 737, was shifted out only after airport officials reminded the airline that it was still parked on their apron. During the privatisation transition, the plane had slipped out of internal tracking and remained forgotten. Its relocation has opened up crucial space needed for upcoming hangar construction at the airport. The old airframe has now been sent to Bengaluru to aid technical training. The episode highlights a rare administrative oversight involving an aircraft lost to memory.

Another retired Air India aircraft has begun its final journey from Kolkata airport to Faridabad after years of lying unused. The dismantled airframe, once part of the airline’s legacy fleet, is being moved by road on a specialised multi-axle trailer. Airport officials say its removal is part of an ongoing effort to clear long-abandoned planes that have occupied valuable apron space. The shifting process involved careful coordination due to the aircraft’s size and the need to navigate narrow stretches along the route. Once in Faridabad, the scrapped jet will be repurposed for non-aviation use, likely for display or training. The move marks another step in the airport’s drive to free up space ahead of planned infrastructure upgrades.

Another retired Air India Boeing 737-200, previously used to transport India Post mail across the Northeast, had made headlines in December 2019 after getting wedged beneath a bridge near Durgapur during a road transfer. The grounded jet, being hauled without its wings, got stuck due to misjudged height clearance on the national highway. The incident led to long traffic snarls and required heavy machinery to extract the fuselage safely. Officials later reviewed transport protocols to prevent similar mishaps during aircraft relocations. The episode remains one of the more unusual road-movement accidents involving decommissioned planes in the region.

Another decommissioned aircraft was transported out of Kolkata in December 2019 as part of efforts to clear long-parked jets from the airport grounds. The retired plane, stripped for relocation, was loaded onto a multi-axle trailer and taken along designated road corridors under police escort. Its movement required planned diversions, height-clearance checks and temporary traffic regulation to ensure an incident-free passage. The transfer formed part of a broader clean-up drive aimed at freeing apron space occupied for years. The exercise also highlighted the logistical challenges involved in shifting ageing aircraft through public roads.