Air India has selected Skytech to market the sale of its four Boeing 747-400s that previously served the airline. The aircraft are currently in storage before being retired. One of these four aircraft was used as Air India One, a VIP aircraft used to carry the Prime Minister and President of India.
Julian Balaam, Managing Director, Skytech said: “We are honored to have been selected by India’s flag carrier, Air India, for this important assignment and are delighted to welcome them as a remarketing client alongside similarly leading airlines such as Singapore Airlines Group, Kuwait Airways, Air Greenland and Europe’s TUI Group.”
After putting off the decision for over a year, Air India has finally put the aircraft on sale. The aircraft are relatively young aged between 26 and 30 years each and have only flown for Air India. Experts believe that there is a strong chance that the aircraft might be selected for passenger-to-freighter conversions by interested parties.
The aircraft has been in storage for over 2.5 years and hence selling these aircraft will not be an easy task.
Since 1971, Air India operated 31 Boeing 747 in total with three different versions 747-200, 747-300, and 747-400.
During the pandemic, most of the 747 found their way to the junkyards after being scrapped for spares and avionics. However, if not for passenger travel, the 747 remains a popular model for cargo airlines as it can be retrofitted for maximum freighter capacity.
Considering the high freighter demand, some operators might consider converting the existing 747s into freighters rather than waiting for the new deliveries.
Meanwhile, Air India is looking forward to monetising the aging assets.