Quick Check – How many of the majestic Boeing 707s operated by Air-India are preserved in the country?
Ans : Zero.. not one of the airframes has survived. there are two airframes in service with the Aviation Research Center that may get retired or scrapped at some point but no representation exists of this civilian aircraft in India.
Air-India is on its way to repeating that mistake by retiring or scrapping all its Boeing 747s. All the 747s are retired – and only three airframes survive at Sahar airport – Mumbai International Airport.
This report talks about appointing a marketing firm to get rid of its last four 747-400s These are VT-ESO, VT-ESP, VT-EVA, and VT-EVB, all of them parked at Mumbai airport at that time.
All four of them can still be seen at the airport. The first one is VT-EVB, Velha Goa, seen below is seen
Velha Goa / VT-EVB holds a special place for me as it was one of the first Boeing 747s that I ever flew in as a passenger way back in 2000. Just about the time this website was started.
Additionally, two other Boeing 747s can be seen parked at the Air-India hangars. The last one is parked at a bay on the opposite side of these aircraft which is next to the T2 Terminal.
It’s lamentable that not one Boeing 747 airframe will be preserved in the country.
The only relics include the cockpit of one of the 747s that was scrapped in the 2000s, which is currently with the Thakur Institute of Aviation Technology in Kandavalli East in Mumbai. The cockpit was originally in the classic Air-India scheme but has since been repainted in school colours.
Acknowledgements : Pranav Gayatri for providing information on the Boeing 747 Cockpit at the Thakur Institute
The cockpit of the 747, sits at the thakur institute of aviation technology in kandivali east, mumbai. I have been inside the cockpit and it have been preserved quite well, except for the exterior paint of course. Hopefully someone at air india will think wisely and save an airframe of this iconic aircraft rather than scraping it, maybe even displaying it at the airport entrance itself
Thank you for that tip – Pranav. I remember seeing the photo of it long ago, but forgot where it was located.