NEW DELHI: Once known as Queen of skies, Air India Boeing 747‘s on Monday flew out of Mumbai’s international airport. The aircraft which once ferried Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Prime Minister and VVIP’s took its last flight from Mumbai base marking the end of an era. The plane was used for long international flights.
The aircraft is off to Plainfield in US, where it will be dismantled and be stripped for parts.There are four Air India Boeing 747’s, the last of which seised operations four years back.
Air India received delievery of its first Boeing 747 aircrafts on March 22, 1971.
The pilots while taking its final flight off Indian base performed a “Wing Wave” which is an aviation tradition for retiring or concluding flights.
Airlines across the world are replacing the Boeing 747’s with much better and more efficient jets.
According to a report by The Economic Times, the four Boeing 747-400 airplanes have found a new owner – US-based AerSale, a supplier of aftermarket commercial jet engines and parts.
The last flight of Air India 747’s was in 2021, since then, they’ve been parked at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.