[Aditya]

Like all machines, aircraft too become old and have to be retired from service. So what happens to the big birds after they have finished serving their employers?

Cars that are too old to run are taken to scrapyards. Similarly, aircraft are sent to sites called boneyards or graveyards. Here, they are either kept for storage with some maintenance or have their parts removed for reuse or resale and are then scrapped. While some boneyards specialise in commercial aircraft, others are into defence aircraft. In either case, used airplanes are parked, stored, cannibalized, recycled, and/or sold for reuse from such boneyards. A few aircraft are bought by or given away to museums or other institutions for display.


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In the USA, boneyard facilities are generally located in deserts, since the dry conditions reduce corrosion and the hard ground does not need to be paved. There is enough place to store the aircraft and the conditions help in keeping the various components in decent shape.


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While some other countries like the USA, retire large fleets of aircraft, India doesn't. As a result, there is no real need for dedicated boneyard facilities in the country.

When an aircraft from the Indian Air Force is retired, the organisation removes all the avionics and equipment from it and then donates it to an educational institution or for exhibition after following the set rules and regulations. Other fighter jets are melted to re-use the steel for their own purposes or of other organisations.


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Coming to civil aviation, many of the aircraft flown by Indian carriers are on lease. They are taken back by the lessors (mostly located in other countries) once the lease period is over.


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Some aircraft are just abandoned at airports around the country and become an eyesore for travellers. Most of these aircraft are cannibalised for parts. The authorities invite tenders from scrap dealers to dispose of these aircraft. After they are sold, the scrap dealers wheel them to a remote part of the airport and break them into pieces so that they can be transported out of the airport premises on a trailer. In 2019, a cannibalised Boing 737 that was lying at Kolkata airport for five years was sold to a scrap dealer for Rs. 17 - 18 lakh.



Recently, Nano Aviation, a Chennai-based aircraft maintenance company, dismantled an aircraft at Chennai airport. This was a first-of-its-kind activity in India. A recent amendment in RBI’s FEMA now allows the export of aircraft in partially and fully knocked down condition. This means abandoned and cannibalised aircraft can be exported in parts making it easier for lessors to retrieve their aircraft and components. This process of decommissioning and dismantling is also known as stripping. Earlier, the absence of this regulation prohibited lessors from retrieving their aircraft and components.

India has had the necessary skill and equipment to handle such complex projects. However, the prevailing policy framework did not permit the free export of dismantled components. While the export and import of leased aircraft from and to India was a duty-free transaction, the export of dismantled components from a leased aircraft was not. The amendment to the rules entitles the lessors to export an aircraft in both, complete or partially knocked down condition. Upon retrieval of all components, the frame shell is either scrapped or sold.

Nano Aviation was established in Aug 2013 with an objective to make aviation affordable to all by contributing low-cost sustainable maintenance to the operators and so to pass on the benefit to customers. The company has an all-India airport clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and approval from Directorate General of Civil Aviation for "CAR 145 Maintenance Organization (MRO)". It has approval for full scope maintenance of Cessna 152/172 R/S aircraft and line maintenance for ATR-72-212 and Boeing 737 NG. The aircraft the company dismantled, was a Jet Airways Boing 777 that was cannibalised and could not be flown out of the country to its lessors.

The amendment in the rules could also help India to become a hub for decommissioning & aircraft dismantling. With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many airlines could retire a good number of aircraft. The global market for commercial aircraft disassembly, dismantling and recycling is estimated at US$ 6.2 billion in the year 2020 and projected to reach a revised size of US$ 8 billion by 2027. That presents a big business opportunity for India. Revenue will also be generated from storage and parking.

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[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Aditya

aircraft are sent to sites called boneyards . Here, they are either kept for storage with some maintenance or have their parts removed for reuse or resale and are then scrapped

One such boneyard is Mojave, CA. Here's a touching video featuring some A380 commanders from Qantas

https://youtu.be/ZewomnhhbiE

and, another non-emotional one featuring the same location

https://youtu.be/OK9zhumtGg0

[haisaikat]

And then there are these type of restaurants (a retired Airbus A310). Wish there were more of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcyyMY8CW14

[no_fear]

Delhi IGI has a nice collection of old planes rusting in the corner. If you are ever flying out of IGI and the plane taxis towards the Delhi - Gurgaon highway before take off, you can see the old beauties if you are seated on the starboard side. There are still several Kingfisher jets, alliance air and some logistics airlines parked.

[TrackDay]

I recall seeing a boneyard for the first time in a music video from the 1998 Tamil movie Jeans (Enakke Enakkaa song) in which Aishwarya Rai and Prashanth dances on top of those aircrafts. When it comes to Indian commercial aviation the sad fact is that most of them were not retired, but were put out of service due to the companies having gone out business. Abroad in most boneyards the aircrafts are stored for usage as donors in terms of parts, especially the real old ones.

These things look a city block from way up above.

Image source: google images

[RM Motorsports]

Though this is not from India, The Pan Am Experience created by Anthony Toth is quite an interesting concept. I am just posting because the way he created the Air India experience is just amazing.

What was flying a Pan Am B747 in the 1970s like?

Fortunately in Los Angeles, you can re-live the magic of flying on-board a luxurious Pan Am B747 at The Pan Am Experience.

The Pan Am Experience includes a five or six course meal, drinks and a fashion show. There's even a check-in process with tickets and boarding passes. Flight attendants dressed in retro uniforms will happily pose for photos with passengers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtQWWhYGE1Q

Anthony Toth from Pan Am Experience had spent much of his 2020 to re-create the glorious past of Air India B747-200 retro flying experience. Every details was taken care of in the process of re-creating the experience. The whole B747 was decorated up to the 1970 decor. Wallpaper, seat fabrics, tray liner, glassware, dining-ware, packaging, coaster, menu and everything else resembled Air India in the 1970s.


Skip to 7.10 onwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V2hujQuiEg

[SnS_12]

A few retired MIG-23MF’s that I saw at one of the smallest airports I have ever been too, which is the Jamnagar airport (owned by IAF). You can really walk down from the plane and out of the airport in under 5 mins

Seems these MIG’s 23 belong to No 224 squadron and were the last squadron to operate these before they were retired in 2007.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

And then there are these type of restaurants (a retired Airbus A310). Wish there were more of these.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=vcyyMY8CW14

I know of one in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), it's called as Aerodine Restaurant!


Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jLiPFEoC2DRo4ZZE8

And I have seen one in Meerut as well, not sure if it's operational or just a display. It is called as Lal Quila Airport Resort, so maybe not a Restaurant.


Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zVD2eGZMVU3WoXVW7

[akash_v12]

I know that for some aircrafts, most of the moving parts are dismantled and the frame is kept as is. These are then given away to educational institutes. I know of a few in and around Maharashtra.

Some of them are parked at airport hangars (specially the rest of the 747s of AI except the 4 that are still possibly used), awaiting dismantling. Aircrafts not under use are a common site to see while taking off from Runway 27 in BOM, near the VIP terminal. Around here:

Most aircraft go back to their lessors, after which they could possibly be scrapped (Arizona, Mojave etc. are famously known for the exact reason).

Some might also be used for other reasons, like aircraft which have important history might be stored in a museum. While others are creatively used, like so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cIs2OtgCcw

Note: I am in no way associated with any of the above mentioned entities.

[vikasshu]

Originally Posted by Aditya

When an aircraft from the Indian Air Force is retired, the organisation removes all the avionics and equipment from it and then donates it to an educational institution or for exhibition after following the set rules and regulations.


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There is a good website that enthusiasts can use to track Indian war birds. The site is maintained by Jagan Pillarisetti, an aviation enthusiast. The page has loads of details and very interesting to know history of many planes that are on display across India. I'll surely recommend the site.

Here is the link http://www.warbirds.in/

They also have a discussion forum on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/warbirdsofindia

Thanks & Regards

[sridhu]

There has been a DC-1 at BITS Pilani forever (at least 40 years. Been almost 30 years since I went there!)



A slightly better view of the plane itself

[vikasshu]

Originally Posted by sridhu

There has been a DC-1 at BITS Pilani forever (at least 40 years. Been almost 30 years since I went there!)

This plane was personally used by Shri G D Birla. It’s an ex USAF C-47. I gathered all these details from the warbird link.



Thank You

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by sridhu

There has been a DC-1 at BITS Pilani forever (at least 40 years. Been almost 30 years since I went there!)

Attachment 2176394

A slightly better view of the plane itself

Attachment 2176395

Originally Posted by vikasshu

This plane was personally used by Shri G D Birla. It’s an ex USAF C-47. I gathered all these details from the warbird link.

Attachment 2176416

Thank You

The location and these images bring back a lot of memories. My grandfather was an Aeronautical Engineer, and he used to take care of that Dakota plane and was also the Curator of the BITS Pilani Museum for some years. My father and his family once travelled in that same plane from Delhi to Pilani air strip as well, is what I remember.

P.S. - Had completely forgotten of it's existence when I posted pics of the Plane Restaurants in Dehradun and Meerut.

[ksakotai]

Do people bid for the aircraft seats and install them in their cars? That would be cool - strongest but heavy.

I remember 21 years ago when I was living in Boston we had bought a car seat for our newly born son. Forget the name, but they claimed it is made out of same materials as an aircraft seat...