How did Air India lose a Boeing 737-200 for 13 years at Kolkata Airport?

The global commercial aviation news cycle was recently stunned by a remarkable admission from Air India. The airline confirmed it had lost track of a Boeing 737-200 cargo aircraft for 13 years. The jet was found parked in a remote bay at Kolkata Airport (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport).

This extraordinary oversight highlights significant airline asset management failure and the challenges of organizational cleanup. The aircraft, registered VT-EHH, had been decommissioned in 2012. It subsequently vanished from the airline’s official records.

The Discovery and Financial Cost

The VT-EHH aircraft remained at the airport for over a decade. During this time, airport authorities continued to levy parking fees. They issued invoices to Air India for the space occupied.

Initially, the airline disputed these charges. They had no internal record of the plane's existence at the facility. The situation changed when Kolkata Airport formally requested the aircraft's removal.

Air India ultimately agreed to pay the accumulated Kolkata Airport parking fees. The total cost was close to ₹10 million (approximately £83,362 or $120,000).

• The aircraft was removed on November 14.
• It was transported by road to Bengaluru.
• The space is now cleared for new hangars at the airport.

Root Cause: Mergers and Privatization

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson addressed the oversight in an internal memo to staff. He noted the disposal of old planes is normal, but this case was unique. “It’s an aircraft that we didn’t even know we owned until recently!” Mr. Wilson said.

The plane’s disappearance from records stemmed from successive restructurings. The jet began its life with Indian Airlines. It was absorbed by Air India after the two carriers merged in 2007. It was later converted for freight use and leased to India Post.

Mr. Wilson stated the plane was “repeatedly left out of internal records”. This included the critical transfer documents during the airline’s Air India privatization in 2022. Assets missing from takeover inventories are easily forgotten, especially when grounded. The incident reflects the structural documentation chaos of the former state-run carrier era.

Industry and Operational Impact

Aviation analysts stress that airlines must be vigilant about asset tracking. Grounded aircraft represent a cost, not a value. John Strickland, founder of JLS Consulting, noted that maintenance histories and serial numbers are normally “very tightly controlled”. The case highlights a serious lapse in oversight systems.

This forgotten aircraft incident underscores the challenges for legacy carriers. It demonstrates the need for modernizing IT systems and asset registers. Well-managed carriers use these to track depreciation, insurance, and parking liability.

• Risk: Grounded, untracked aircraft incur significant, unnecessary costs.
• Challenge: Mergers and privatization require meticulous asset auditing.
• Opportunity: The new Tata Group management is using this to drive organizational cleanup.

The Boeing 737-200’s New Life

The Boeing 737-200 is a first-generation model. It was introduced in the late 1960s and is long retired from passenger service. The aircraft itself has negligible resale value.

However, the jet's story has a positive ending for the industry. It was sold and transported by road to Bengaluru. There, it will be repurposed for ground-based engineering training. This provides a valuable, real-world training platform for maintenance crews. Notably, this was the only retired Air India aircraft sold with its Pratt & Whitney engines still intact.

Airport officials noted that VT-EHH was the 14th defunct aircraft removal in five years. This points to wider enforcement gaps concerning abandoned planes at Indian airports. The resolution of the VT-EHH case frees up crucial apron space for new development.