Air India’s missing Boeing passenger plane found after 13 years

Thursday, December 18, 2025 - Air India has admitted it recently located a Boeing passenger aircraft it lost track of more than a decade ago, a discovery that has resulted in the airline paying a substantial parking fine.

The airline confirmed that one of its aircraft had been sitting at Kolkata Airport since 2012 after effectively disappearing from its records. The aircraft only came to light after airport authorities contacted Air India and requested that the jet be removed.

Following the discovery, Air India was fined nearly 10 million rupees, equivalent to about 85,000 pounds, for accumulated parking and handling fees incurred over 13 years.

Reports said the airline initially denied ownership of the aircraft before an internal audit confirmed that the 30 tonne, 30-metre-long Boeing 737 200 was indeed part of its fleet.

Officials said staff turnover and poor record keeping over the years contributed to the aircraft slipping out of the airline’s official documentation.

The plane was originally registered to Indian Airlines, a state owned carrier that merged with Air India in 2007. It was later leased to the Indian postal service and converted for cargo use before being deregistered in 2012.

Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson reportedly said the aircraft had been decommissioned years earlier to operate for India Post and was subsequently omitted from several official records.

The 43-year-old aircraft was sold and transported by road to Bengaluru about two weeks ago, where it will now be used for air crew ground training.

Airport officials confirmed that Air India has paid the full amount demanded in parking and handling charges accrued during the aircraft’s long stay at Kolkata Airport.

The jet had a varied operational history, having flown for Indian Airlines, Alliance Air and India Post before being withdrawn from service in 2012.

Authorities said the removal of the Boeing 737 200 marked the 14th abandoned aircraft cleared from Kolkata Airport in the past five years. They added that two more unclaimed aircraft, ATR 72 planes previously operated by Alliance Air, have also remained parked at the airport for about five years in a remote section on the southwestern side of the airfield.

The revelation comes amid heightened scrutiny of Air India’s operations following a London bound flight crash in Ahmedabad in June 2025 that killed all but one of the 242 people on board. In November, the airline also grounded three Boeing 787 8 Dreamliners for what it described as extensive investigations.