Air India’s Boeing 737 aircraft, missing for 13 years, was found at Kolkata Airport. After being grounded in 2012, it was forgotten and removed from records. This was a major lapse in asset management under the previous management.
Kolkata: A Boeing 737 aircraft that went missing from Air India’s official records 13 years ago has finally been found at Kolkata Airport. Air India came to know about this aircraft when Kolkata Airport authorities contacted them to remove it. This is a 43 year old Boeing 737-200 jet aircraft. This discovery is being considered as a major lapse in asset management during the previous government management of Air India. This aircraft with registration VT-EHH was handed over to Indian Airlines in 1982. It later flew for Alliance Air and in 2007, Air India converted it into a cargo aircraft.
This aircraft flying for India Post was grounded at Kolkata Airport in 2012. But instead of being sold or sent to the scrapyard, it was left in a corner of the airstrip. With this, the aircraft completely disappeared from the airline’s fixed asset records. Meanwhile, when Kolkata airport authorities sent a letter demanding rent for the space, the reply received was that we do not have any such aircraft.
finally a letter
It was only after Kolkata Airport approached Air India to remove the aircraft that a detailed internal investigation began. The audit confirmed that the aircraft had been left out of many official records for several consecutive years. Due to this omission, information on VT-EHH aircraft was not included in depreciation schedules, insurance records, maintenance and financial registers.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson told employees that the aircraft had been removed from internal records in the years immediately before privatisation. As a result, when the Tata Group acquired the airline, this aircraft was not included in the valuation done at that time. Before privatization, Air India had no asset register to track operating expenses, insurance liabilities, parking charges and maintenance cycles. Because of this mistake this aircraft was forgotten. Like this aircraft, another aircraft named VT-EGG was also kept in Kolkata. VT-EGG was later flown to Rajasthan, where it now operates as an aircraft restaurant.