Air India has appointed UK-based Skytech-AIC to handle the sale process of its last four Boeing 747-400 aircraft, according to the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times.
The aircraft, built between 1993 and 1996, were delivered directly to Air India from Boeing’s production line. The Tata Group-owned company permanently deprogrammed them between February 2020 and March 2021. Since then, they have been stored at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shiva International Airport (BOM).
All four aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines and are available for immediate delivery, the company said. They remain in good condition and one of them was recently used to transport India’s PM.
Will they find a buyer?
The aircraft have only operated regularly for Air India and remain relatively young. While the use of four-engines aircraft for passenger services is declining, the current context of growth in air cargo increases the chances that they can be acquired and converted to freighters.
Many Boeing 747s have been sent to aircraft graveyards or scrapped. While the most valuable parts, such as engines or avionics, are often removed and reused, most of the structures remain in such facilities, usually located in desert areas, simply awaiting for its final disposal.
Nevertheless, the «Jumbo» remains very popular among cargo operators. The current high demand for dedicated cargo aircraft has led to a search for conversion possibilities rather than ordering new airplanes directly from the factory.
In this way, Air India’s last four Boeing 747-400s could undergo a conversion process and continue their life as freighter aircraft.
