Nagpur is also served by the Sonegaon airport which has an airforce enclosure in the form of 44 Wing. Sonegaon is the permanent airfield for No.44 “Mighty Jets” Squadron operating the Illyushin 76 heavy transport aircraft. The Illyushins moved here from their former base in Agra in 2003.
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Boeing 720 [VT-ERS] lies derelict at Sonegaon airport in Nagpur. Pic Courtesy: Rahul Devnath |
Sonegaon airport’s history dates back to World War Two, when it was a major staging base. Over the years its major traffic was civilian aircraft till the recent formation of 44 Wing and the transfer of the Il-76s. The airport has its fair share of derelict aircraft in the form of a rusting hulk of a Boeing 707 airliner.
The aircraft is originally a 720 version. Its registration is VT-ERS and is in the name of Continental Aviation since 1991. Though rumoured to have been scrapped over the years, Rahul Devnath’s photo (Feb 2006) confirms that the airframe is still extant.
Times of India did a story on the aircraft in 2016
Chirs Croy posted a story on Twitter about it in October 2021..
I just found out that
— Chris Croy (@ChrisCroy) October 12, 2021
1. For 24 years every pilot who landed at the airport in Nagpur, India had to be warned about the Boeing 720 sitting next to the runway.
2. That it was my dad's fault.
This is the story of my dad's junkyard jet. pic.twitter.com/yxw2qjLQHX
