NOTE : The detailed fleet list in table form is
available
here.
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 airlines name was officially truncated
to Air India. Three days later, Air India became the worlds 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 Indias 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.
The detailed fleet list table can
be viewed by clicking
here.
for the French version