End of an era: Air India sells its last four Boeing 747s

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More than 50 years after taking delivery of its first Jumbo, Air India has sold its last four Boeing 747-400s to AerSale, a U.S. company specializing in the sale of used aircraft, spare parts and jet engines, marking the end of an era.

One of the aircraft was acquired by the airline in 1993, another in 1994 and the remaining two in 1996.

According to people familiar with the matter, two of these aircraft will be converted to freighters, while the remaining two will be split into parts to be sold in the 747 aftermarket.

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The first of these aircraft departed Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday for Seattle.

Air India’s last commercial flight with the 747 was on the Delhi-Mumbai route in March 2021. Before being parked at Mumbai Airport, a couple of the aircraft were used for VVIP ministerial flights, including transporting the country’s Prime Minister and President on official visits.

Over five decades, Air India operated a total of 31 Boeing 747 aircraft: 14 B747-200s, three B747-300s and 14 B747-400s.

Photo: Sean d’Silva/Wikimedia