What will happen to Air India's last Boeing 747, which took its final flight from Mumbai airport today

In April 2022, the aviation regulator DGCA deregistered four Boeing 747 jumbo jets that were not in operation since February 2020

Air India on Monday bid goodbye to one of its last remaining Boeing 747s from Mumbai airport. The aircraft, which was de-registered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last year was once registered VT-EVA and named “Agra.” In a symbolic move, the pilots of the Boeing 747 performed a “Wing Wave” move which is a tradition reserved for retiring flights.

The Boeing 747 aircraft were used to operate international flights for top dignitaries such as the president, prime minister, and vice president, a PTI report said.

“Today, one of the former Air India Boeing 747s left Mumbai for the last time. Once registered VT-EVA and named “Agra”, it was de-registered by the DGCA last year after retirement, and its “Air India” titles and logos were removed. Hence a temporary American registration, N940AS was applied to it last week, to permit it to fly out of its former home base, towards an uncertain future,” Debasish Chakraverty, an aviation historian told Hindustan Times.

In April 2022, the aviation regulator DGCA deregistered four Boeing 747 jumbo jets that were not in operation since February 2020. The move came only months after Tata Group took control of Air India in January 2022.

What will happen to retired Air India’s Boeing 747 aircraft?

One of the Boeing 747 took off from Mumbai airport on Monday and another is expected to take its final flight from India soon. Air India has sold these aircraft to foreign companies, which will most likely use them as freighters, for transporting cargo and other supplies over long distances.

The other two Air India Boeing 747 aircraft will be disassembled in Mumbai for its parts. The process is conducted to extend the lifecycle of the aircraft and reuse their parts as spare or scrap metal.

“The planes are made from approximately 800 to 1,000 recyclable parts, the majority of which are made from metal alloys and composite materials. Commercial aircraft are dismantled at aircraft recycling centers, where non-metallic parts with no recycling value are discarded, major components are dismantled, and metal alloy parts are sorted based on their composition,” a paper on commercial aircraft disassembly on Fortune Business Insights said.