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In
1948, Air India International, then owned by Tata Sons Ltd., was granted
status to operate international services from India as the designated flag
carrier. The Government of India took a 49% stake in the company including
an option to purchase a majority interest at their discretion and awarded
a 10 year management contract to J.R.D. Tata to run the
airline.
One of Air India's first acts under this new mandate was
to order Lockheed L-749 Constellations in order to inaugurate
international service. The first L-749 registered VT-CQS was delivered in
March 1948, quickly followed by two others. In June 1948, the first
international flight from Bombay to London was operated via Cairo and
Geneva by an L-749 registered VT-CQP. In total, Air India received 3 L-749
base model aircraft.
L-749
VT-CQP : Malabar Princess
VT-CQR : Rajput Princess
VT-CQS : Mughal Princess
Later that year, Lockheed developed the L-749A which offered an additional
2000kg of payload and Air India decided to replace their existing fleet of
brand new L-749s with this variant. Fortunately, Qantas was a willing
customer for these older airframes. The first sale of "Mughal
Princess" was completed in December 1949 and the sale of "Rajput
Princess" in April 1951.
Alas, "Malabar Princess" was lost on 3 November 1950 while
operating a flight between Cairo and Geneva. Commanded by Capt. Alan Saint, a
veteran British pilot, she struck the face of Mont Blanc while on descent
into Geneva killing all 40 passengers and 8 crewmembers aboard.
The replacement L-749A Constellations began service in November 1949 and
served as the backbone of the fleet (supplemented by DC-3s and Vikings who
remained un-named for the most part) for the first half of the next decade.
In 1953, the Government exercised their right to purchase the remaining stake
in Air India International and the Air Corporations Act was passed
nationalizing the aviation industry. The fleet at this time consisted of 4
L-749A Constellations.
L-749A
VT-DAR : Maratha Princess
VT-DAS : Himalayan Princess
VT-DEO : Bengal Princess
VT-DEP : Kashmir Princess
On 11 April 1955, "Kashmir Princess" departed Hong Kong en route to
Jakarta on a charter flight carrying a delegation of 8 crew, 8 Chinese
diplomats and 3 European journalists heading to the Bandung conference. The
flight was originally supposed to be carrying Chinese premier Chou En Lai,
but he changed his travel plans at the last moment. One hour prior to landing
in Jakarta, a explosive device with a timer exploded in the starboard wheel
bay, causing a fire in the #3 fuel tank. The pilot was able to successfully
ditch the aircraft on the high seas near the Natuna Islands. Three
crewmembers escaped the wreckage and were later rescued by the Indonesian
Coast Guard. All 16 others aboard, including Captain D.K. Jatar, drowned at
sea. Captain Jatar later became the first civilian to be posthumously awarded
the Ashoka Chakra for "most conspicuous bravery, daring and
self-sacrifice". The assassination attempt on Chou En Lai was discovered
to have been the work of the Taiwanese KMT, possibly with the aid of the
American CIA.
The surviving L-749As were removed from the fleet in January 1958 and sold to
Aeronaves de Mexico.
In the meanwhile, the Air India fleet had continued to grow with the
introduction of the larger and longer range Super Constellation, the first of
which had entered the fleet in June 1954. A total of 10 L-1049 Super
Constellations served Air India, a mix of L-1049C, L-1049E and L-1049G
variants.
L-1049C
VT-DGL : Rani of Jhansi
VT-DGM : Rani of Ajanta
L-1049E
VT-DHL : Rani of Nilgiris
VT-DHM : Rani of Ellora
VT-DHN : Rani of Chittor
L-1049G
VT-DIL : Rani of Golconda (?)
VT-DIM : Rani of ???
VT-DIN : Rani of Aera
VT-DJW : Rani of Bijapur
VT-DJX : Rani of Madurai
The L-1049s formed the backbone of the fleet for almost a decade. Alas, the
"Rani of Aera" was lost at Bombay airport on 19 July 1959 when she
overshot the runway in a rainstorm. Thankfully there was no loss of life.
Air India entered the jet age on 21 February 1960 when it took delivery of
the first Boeing 707-437 registered VT-DJJ. The aircraft was initially named
"Annapurna" upon delivery, but following a minor fire during a
Bombay to Calcutta flight a few years later was re-christened as
"Gaurishankar". VT-DJI, the second aircraft delivered and who had
been originally named "Gaurishankar", was re-christened as
"Nandadevi" at this time.
In total Air India operated 11 Boeing 707s, including 2 Combi variants. The
707s provided yeoman service to the airline until they were finally retired
from service in October 1986.
B707-437
VT-DJJ : (Annapurna) Gaurishankar
VT-DJI : (Gaurishankar) Nandadevi
VT-DJK : Everest
VT-DMN : Kanchenjunga
VT-DNY : Dhaulagiri
VT-DNZ : Nanga Parbat
B707-337B
VT-DPM : Makalu
VT-DSI : Lhotse
VT-DVA : Annapurna
B707-337C
VT-DVB : Kamet
VT-DXT : Trishul
On June 8, 1962 the airline’s name was officially truncated to Air India.
Three days later, Air India became the world’s first all-jet airline with the
retirement of the last L-1049A Super Constellation.
On 24 January 1966, "Kanchenjunga" was operating a flight from
Beirut to Geneva when a miscommunication between Capt. J.T. D'Souza and
Geneva Air Traffic Control caused the aircraft to crash into the face of Mont
Blanc. All 11 crew and 106 passengers aboard were killed. Ironically, the
crash site was only 200 meters from the very spot that "Malabar
Princess" had made her final resting place 16 years earlier.
On 23 January 1971, "Nandadevi" (nee Gaurishankar mk.1) was being
used for pilot training at Bombay airport. During one go-around, Capt. Hosali
attempted to simulate a 3-engined takeoff with #4 engine out but Capt.
Kapadia failed to compensate appropriately and the aircraft ran off the
runway. #3 and #4 engine struck a fixed object and were torn off. The aircraft
was destroyed by fire but all aboard escaped without injury.
On 22 June 1982, "Gaurishankar" (nee Annapurna mk.1) was attempting
to land at Bombay airport in a rainstorm. The co-pilot flared the aircraft
too early and she touched down hard, hydroplaning on a patch of water. When
go-around thrust was applied by Capt. Goodwin there was insufficient runway
left to take off. The aircraft ran off the runway into a drainage ditch. The
tail empennage separated from the fuselage and collapsed onto the rear
section of the plane. Cabin crew Sampat Kumar and Elizabeth Job as well as 15
passengers were killed. The remaining 10 crew and 84 passengers survived the
accident.
The morning of 18 April 1971 represented the proudest moment in Air India's
history as the first Boeing 747-237B registered VT-EBD touched down at
Bombay, catapulting the airline into a select group of international carriers
to operate this "747th wonder of the world". To commemorate this
occasion, a new livery was introduced in a "Your Palace In The Sky"
theme featuring Rajasthani arches individually painted around every window on
the main deck.
Air India operated a total of 11 B747-237Bs, including 3 that remain with the
airline today (2 in active service).
B747-237B
VT-EBD : Emperor Ashoka
VT-EBE : (Emperor) Shahjehan
VT-EBN : (Emperor) Rajendra Chola
VT-EBO : (Emperor) Vikramaditya
VT-EDU : (Emperor) Akbar
VT-EFJ : (Emperor) Chandragupta
VT-EFO : (Emperor) Kanishka
VT-EFU : Krishna Deva Raya
VT-EGA : Samudragupta
VT-EGB : Mahendra Verman
VT-EGC : Harsha Vardhan
On New Years Day of 1978, "Emperor Ashoka", the beloved flagship of
the fleet and pride of India was lost on takeoff from Bombay en route to
Dubai. The crash was attributed to the failure of the Attitude Director
Indicator on the instrument panel and the inability of Capt. Kukar to respond
appropriately. All 23 crew and 190 passengers on board were killed.
In August 1979, the Janata Party government of Charan Singh made one of their
first acts in power an order to strike the word "Emperor" from the
names of Air India's aircraft. A simultaneous order was given to replace
English with Hindi titles on the port surface of the vertical fin. Prior to
this, both surfaces of the vertical fin had English titles while the fuselage
had Hindi titles on the starboard side and English on the port. "Krishna
Deva Raya" was the first aircraft delivered under this new convention,
while the other aircraft were repainted by the end of 1981.
24 June 1985 was another dark day in Air India’s history as (Emperor)
"Kanishka” fell victim to a terrorist bombing while operating a flight
from Canada to London. All 22 crew and 327 passengers aboard were killed.
In order to replace "Kanishka", a decision was made to acquire a
single Boeing 747-212B that had previously been owned by Singapore Airlines.
Accordingly, VT-ENQ was delivered to Air India in May 1987. Keeping with the
tradition of naming Boeing 747s after Indian kings, it was proposed to name
this aircraft as "Shivaji" after the 16th century king of the Marathas.
Unfortunately the Shiv Sena, a local Bombay political party that considered
Shivaji as their spiritual leader, took offense to this proposal. They
believed that it was an insult to their leader that a previously owned
aircraft would be named in his honor, whereas other leaders had brand new
aircraft as their namesake. In the end, a compromise was reached to name the
aircraft "Himalaya" after the mountain range in Northern India.
B747-212B
VT-ENQ : Himalaya
In October 1988, Air India took delivery of a pair of a brand new aircraft
type, the Boeing 747-337M Combi. The first of these airframes was finally
named "Shivaji" and it was proposed to name the second one after a
Mughal king of the same period. Again the Shiv Sena raised objection,
primarily because they felt it an affront to Shivaji that a Mughal king of
the same era would have had the same type of aircraft named after him.
Accordingly, the second aircraft was named "Narasimha Varman" after
the Hindu Pallava king instead. It was also decided that the convention of
naming Boeing 747s after kings would be abandoned.
B747-337M
VT-EPW : Shivaji
VT-EPX : Narasimha Varman
While this drama was ongoing with the Boeing 747s, a sizeable fleet of Airbus
aircraft was quietly being built up. The first of these, an Airbus A300B4-203
registered VT-EHN had been delivered in August 1982. Three of these models
were followed in April 1986 by the first of eight Airbus A310-304 registered
VT-EJG. A decision was made to name all Airbus aircraft after rivers in India.
A300B4-203
VT-EHN : Ganga (mk.1)
VT-EHO : Godavari (mk.1)
VT-EHQ : Cauvery (mk.1)
A310-304
VT-EJG : Jamuna
VT-EJH : Teesta
VT-EJI : Saraswati
VT-EJJ : Beas
VT-EJK : Gomati
VT-EJL : Sabarmati
VT-EQS : Krishna
VT-EQT : Narmada
On 15 October 1989, Air India unveiled a new corporate identity that featured
a sun positioned in metallic gold against a deep red sash. "Rajendra
Chola" was the first aircraft painted in this new livery, but there was
widespread employee disapproval of the change. "Shahjehan", "Akbar",
"Himalaya", "Narasimha Varman", "Teesta" and
"Gomati" were repainted into these new colors, while
"Krishna" and "Narmada" were delivered in the livery.
After two years of plummeting employee morale and widespread public
condemnation of the new brand, it was decided to revert to the previous
"Your Palace In The Sky" marketing identity.
In August 1993, Air India took delivery of the new flagship of its fleet when
the first Boeing 747-437 registered VT-ESM made history by operating the
first ever nonstop flight between New York and Delhi. The Boeing 747-400s
were to be named after places of architectural or tourist interest in India.
B747-437
VT-ESM : Konark
VT-ESN : Tanjore
VT-ESO : Khajuraho
VT-ESP : Ajanta
VT-EVA : Agra
VT-EVB : Velhagoa
Starting from December 2000, a number of additional Airbus A310-304 and
Airbus A310-324 aircraft were taken on lease. These maintained the naming
convention of the rivers in India. In the meanwhile, the three Airbus
A300B4-203s were donated to the Government of Afghanistan to enable them to
restart air service by Ariana Afghan Airlines in 2002.
A310-324
VT-EVE : Periyar
VT-EVF : Mahanadi
VT-EVU : Godavari (mk.2)
VT-EVY : Ganga (mk.2)
VT-AIA : Tapti
VT-AIB : Pennar
VT-AIG : Kosi (mk.2)
VT-AIH : Tungabhadra (mk.2)
VT-AIN : Damodar
VT-AIO : Vaigai
VT-AIP : Pamda
A310-304
VT-EVG : Kosi (mk.1)
VT-EVH : Tungabhadra (mk.1)
VT-EVI : Brahmaputra
VT-EVW : Cauvery (mk.2)
VT-EVX : Luni
In November 2002, Air India acquired the first Boeing 747-4B5 on lease from Korean
Air. In the interest of maintaining the convention of naming the cities after
places of architectural or tourist interest, it was proposed to name the
first leased aircraft registered VT-EVJ as "Prayag" after the
ancient holy city of the Hindus. Unfortunately, due to protests by an
ultra-nationalist Hindu group that took offense to a previously owned
aircraft being christened with the name of its holy city, the aircraft was
finally named as "Fatehpur Sikri" after the world heritage site of
sandstone buildings.
B747-4B5
VT-EVJ : Fatehpur Sikri
VT-AIC : Sanchi (mk.1)
VT-AID : Kaziranga
B747-412
VT-AIE : Mamallapuram
VT-AIF : Ellora
VT-AIQ : Elephanta
B747-4H6
VT-AIS : Sanchi (mk.2)
B747-433M
VT-AIM : Sunderbans
In October 2004, Air India's board reached a decision to acquire 3 former
United Airlines Boeing 777-200ERs and 1 Boeing 777-200A on lease to boost
capacity. The first of these was delivered on December 25, 2004 and entered
into revenue service the following month. The Boeing 777s are named after
musical ragas.
B777-222ER
VT-AIJ : Neelambari
VT-AIK : Megh Malhaar
VT-AIL : Kalyani
B777-222A
VT-AIR : Hamsadhwani
Commencing in 2007, Air India began to take
delivery of Boeing 777-200LRs and Boeing 777-300ERs to replace leased
Boeing 747s as well as to open up new non-stop routes to North America.
These aircraft are named after the States of India.
B777-237LR
VT-ALA : Andra Pradesh
VT-ALB : Arunachal Pradesh
VT-ALC : Assam
VT-ALD :
Gujarat
VT-ALE : Haryana
VT-ALF : Jharkhand
VT-ALG :
Kerala
VT-ALH : Maharashtra
B777-337ER
VT-ALJ : Bihar
VT-ALK : Chattisgarh
VT-ALL :
Goa
VT-ALM : Himachal Pradesh
VT-ALN : Jammu and Kashmir
VT-ALO : Karnataka
VT-ALP :
Madhya Pradesh
VT-ALQ : Manipur
VT-ALR : Meghalaya
VT-ALS : Mizoram
VT-ALT : Nagaland
VT-ALU :
Orissa
The Air India B787-8s are not given names,
nor are the aircraft acquired via the merger with Indian
Airlines.
And that is the history of every aircraft operated by
Air India in the last half century and more.
|
VT-CQP |
w/o Mont Blanc 1950 |
|
VT-CQR |
to Qantas as VH-EAE, to BOAC as G-ANTG, to
Western Airlines as N1552V, b/u c1970 Kenai AK |
|
VT-CQS |
to Qantas as VH-EAF, to BOAC as G-ANTF, to
Capitol Airways as N9816F, b/u c1971 Baginton UK |
|
VT-DAR |
to Aeronaves de Mexico as XA-MEW, to
Carreras Transportes Aereos as LV-IIC, derelict in
Argentina |
|
VT-DAS |
to Aeronaves de Mexico as XA-MEU, w/o
Oakland CA 1961 |
|
VT-DEO |
to Aeronaves de Mexico as XA-MEV, w/o
Guadalajara Mexico 1958 |
|
VT-DEP |
w/o Sarawak 1955 |
|
VT-DGL |
to Indian Air Force as BG581, to Indian
Navy as IN318, b/u Goa 1989 |
|
VT-DGM |
to Indian Air Force as BG582, to Indian
Navy as IN319, b/u Goa 1989 |
|
VT-DHL |
to Indian Air Force as BG580, to Indian
Navy as IN317, b/u Goa 1989 |
|
VT-DHM |
to Indian Air Force as BG575, to Indian
Navy as IN315, preserved at Indian Naval Museum Goa |
|
VT-DHN |
to Indian Air Force as BG577, derelict at
Pune 1984 |
|
VT-DIL |
to Indian Air Force as BG578, derelict at
Pune 1984 |
|
VT-DIM |
to Indian Air Force as BG576, to Indian
Navy as IN316, b/u Goa 1989 |
|
VT-DIN |
w/o Bombay 1959 |
|
VT-DJW |
to Indian Air Force as BG583, preserved at
Pune for IAF Museum Delhi |
|
VT-DJX |
to Indian Air Force as BG579, derelict at
Pune 1984 |
|
VT-DJJ |
w/o Bombay 1982 |
|
VT-DJI |
w/o Bombay 1971 |
|
VT-DJK |
b/u Bombay 1982 |
|
VT-DMN |
w/o Mont Blanc 1966 |
|
VT-DNY |
b/u Bombay 1982 |
|
VT-DNZ |
b/u Bombay 1987 |
|
VT-DPM |
to Air Atlanta as TF-IUE, to Boeing as
N8880A, stored at Davis-Monathan AFB Tucson AZ 1989 |
|
VT-DSI |
to Liberia as EL-AJS, to Boeing as N8870A,
stored at Davis-Monathan AFB Tucson AZ 1989 |
|
VT-DVA |
to Liberia as EL-AJR, to Boeing as N8840A,
stored at Davis-Monathan AFB Tucson AZ 1989 |
|
VT-DVB |
to Indian Air Force as K2900, in
service |
|
VT-DXT |
to Indian Air Force as K2899, in
service |
|
VT-EBD |
w/o Bombay 1978 |
|
VT-EBE |
b/u Mojave CA 2001 as N960JS, fuselage
stored at Edwards AFB CA 2002 |
|
VT-EBN |
b/u Mojave CA 2001 |
|
VT-EBO |
w/o Delhi 1990 |
|
VT-EDU |
sold for scrap, no further info
available |
|
VT-EFJ |
to Tower Air as N104TR, cvt freighter, to
UPS as N524UP, to Polar Air Cargo as N524UP, stored Mobile
2006 |
|
VT-EFO |
w/o Atlantic Ocean 1985 |
|
VT-EFU |
b/u Mumbai 2004 |
|
VT-EGA |
b/u Mumbai 2006 |
|
VT-EGB |
b/u Mumbai 2004 |
|
VT-EGC |
b/u Mumbai 2006 |
|
VT-EHN |
to Ariana Afghan as YA-BAC, in
service |
|
VT-EHO |
to Ariana Afghan as YA-BAB, in
service |
|
VT-EHQ |
to Ariana Afghan as YA-BAD, w/o Istanbul
2007 |
|
VT-EJG |
stored 2012 |
|
VT-EJH |
cvt freighter, stored
2012 |
|
VT-EJI |
cvt freighter, to Services Air as
5X-HJI, in service |
|
VT-EJJ |
stored 2012 |
|
VT-EJK |
stored 2011 |
|
VT-EJL |
stored 2012 |
|
VT-ENQ |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-SQK, to UPS as
N522UP, stored Roswell 2008 |
|
VT-EPW |
wfu 2008, stored Kemble
2009 |
|
VT-EPX |
wfu 2008, stored Kemble 2009 |
|
VT-EQS |
cvt freighter, stored as N538AL
2012 |
|
VT-EQT |
cvt freighter, in service |
| VT-ESM |
w/o Mumbai 2009 |
|
VT-ESN |
in service |
|
VT-ESO |
in service |
|
VT-ESP |
in service |
|
VT-EVA |
in service |
|
VT-EVB |
in service |
|
VT-EVE |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STS, b/u Ahlhorn
2007 |
|
VT-EVF |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STU, to Sudan
Airways as ST-ATN, w/o Khartoum 2008 |
|
VT-EVG |
ex Wardair C-GCWD, Kuwait A6-KUA, MEA
D-APOL and F-OHLH, to Air Transat as C-GTSY |
|
VT-EVH |
ex Wardair C-GKWD, Kuwait A6-KUD, MEA
D-APOP and F-OHLI, to Jordan as JY-JAH |
|
VT-EVI |
ex Kenya Airways 5Y-BFT, to Turkey as TC-SGC |
|
VT-EVJ |
ex Korean Air HL7409, to Korean Air as
HL7606, wfu 2012 |
|
VT-EVU |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STY, cvt
freighter, to FedEx as N266BA |
|
VT-EVY |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STW, cvt
freighter, to FedEx as N68096 |
|
VT-EVW |
ex SAETA HC-BRP, Royal Jordanian JY-AGS,
b/u Kemble 2009 |
|
VT-EVX |
ex Emirates A6-EKP, wfu 2008, b/u
2009 |
|
VT-AIA |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STA, stored
Roswell 2010 |
|
VT-AIB |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STS, stored
2010 |
|
VT-AIC |
ex Korean Air HL7407, to Korean Air as
HL7607 |
|
VT-AID |
ex Korean Air HL7481, to Korean Air as
HL7481 |
|
VT-AIE |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-SMG, cvt
freighter, to Martinair as PH-MPR |
|
VT-AIF |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-SMF, cvt
freighter, to Martinair as PH-MPS |
|
VT-AIG |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STB, cvt
freighter, to FedEx as N819FD |
|
VT-AIH |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STZ, cvt
freighter, to FedEx as N818FD, b/u 2011 |
|
VT-AIJ |
ex United Airlines N790UA, to Omni Air
International as N927AX |
|
VT-AIK |
ex United Airlines N205UA, to Transaero as
EI-UNV |
|
VT-AIL |
ex United Airlines N789UA, to Omni Air
International as N918AX |
|
VT-AIM |
ex Air Canada C-GAGM, to Dubai
Air Wing as A6-COM |
|
VT-AIN |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STD,
to Deccan Cargo as M-YRGR |
|
VT-AIO |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STF,
to Deccan Cargo as M-YRGS |
|
VT-AIP |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-STE,
to Deccan Cargo as M-YRGT |
|
VT-AIQ |
ex Singapore Airlines 9V-SMI,
cvt freighter, to Martinair as PH-MPQ |
|
VT-AIR |
ex United Airlines N766UA, wfu 2010, b/u
2011 |
|
VT-AIS |
ex Malaysia Airlines 9M-MPG, to Air Pullmantur
as EC-KXN |
|
VT-ALA |
in service |
|
VT-ALB |
in service |
|
VT-ALC |
in service |
|
VT-ALD |
in service |
|
VT-ALE |
in service |
|
VT-ALF |
in service |
|
VT-ALG |
in service |
|
VT-ALH |
in service |
|
VT-ALJ |
in service |
|
VT-ALK |
in service |
|
VT-ALL |
in service |
|
VT-ALM |
in service |
|
VT-ALN |
in service |
|
VT-ALO |
in service |
|
VT-ALP |
in service |
| VT-ALQ |
in service |
| VT-ALR |
in service |
| VT-ALS |
in service |
| VT-ALT |
in service |
| VT-ALU |
in service |
| VT-ANH |
in service |
| VT-ANI |
in service |
|
VT-ANJ |
in
service |
* = tentative |
|
