[ruzbehxyz]

We are always in search of lesser-known spots for one day visits around our city. There is an incredible site at Khopoli near Mumbai which has been around since 2008 and many people still do not know about it. We are talking about an aircraft, just off the highway, which is Air Sahara’s Boeing 737 that now lies vacant as an abandoned aircraft.



However there is one such aircraft, which ran off the Mumbai airport runway and was rendered useless. This plane eventually found space in Nishiland waterpark, near Khopoli. Here's how:

The Air Sahara's Boeing 737 (Flight S2-226 ), which ran off the Mumbai airport runway on October 9, 2005, now finds itself at Nishiland Water Park in Khopoli as an added attraction for visitors . It will soon be given on rent for film shoots and inflight coaching classes too.

Soon after the plane was shifted inside a hangar on October 11, 2005, Air Sahara realised that it could no longer operate the plane-the cost of repairing it was enormous. Air Sahara then finally decided to sell the plane as scrap. Nearly 1,700 parts of the plane were sold to an American company for an undisclosed amount, while the fuselage was bought by an Indian firm.

"The aircraft sans the engines was bought by a Delhi based company, which wanted to use it for in-flight training classes. But unfortunately, on April 29, 2007, the plane got stuck at Dukes Factory Junction in Chembur while it was being transported on a trailer to Delhi. The incident occurred after the driver, who had entered into a wrong lane, was trying to manoeuvre his way around,'' said sources. The trailer finally began its journey on May 4, 2007 only after the traffic cops intervened.

"However, the company which bought the plane could not take the plane to Delhi and the plane was off-loaded near Khopoli. Nishiland bought the plane for over Rs 1 crore about four months ago,'' said sources. "Its wings have been welded together and an airline is in talks with owners of Nishiland to have its logo and colours painted on the plane,'' sources added.

Source: Times of India.
Source link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ow/3505108.cms



Children climb on the fuselage of an aircraft stranded while being transported on a giant trailer in Chembur, a suburb of Mumbai. The scrapped 75-foot-long Boeing 737 Air Sahara plane got stuck on the Chembur road off the Mumbai-Pune highway when it was being transported on a trailer to a select location for an entertainment zone on Sunday. Trouble began when it got stuck negotiating it's way off the Mumbai-Pune highway, and the driver then abandoned it. | AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude.
Source: Outlook.
Source Link: https://www.outlookindia.com/photos/single/2205


The news was also shared by BBC, UK.

The decommissioned aircraft was being driven through the city at the weekend when the driver got lost and then abandoned the plane.

Some locals are angry that no action is being taken to move the plane. Others say it is a tourist attraction. It appears that after taking a wrong turn, the driver found himself facing a flyover that was too low for him to take the plane under. The driver has not been seen since and no-one is assuming responsibility for the 737.

Restaurant owner Ramji Thapar is one of the puzzled residents of the Chembur area of the city. He woke up Sunday morning to find the aircraft on a giant trailer abandoned on the road. "Saturday night I shut shop and go home and everything is fine," he told the BBC news website. "Sunday morning when I get here, this aircraft is here near my restaurant!"

The fuselage of the decommissioned aircraft, with the engine, wings and tail removed, was being taken by road to the capital Delhi late on Saturday night.

Reports say it was supposed to be used at a flight training academy.
The plane has become the centre of attraction with people coming from all over the city to take a look.
"I've been fascinated with planes and never seen one so closely," engineering student Vamsi Shastri said. "It's huge!"
His friend Ankur Rane said, "It's fascinating to see an airplane on the roads when one is only used to seeing cars and auto rickshaws."

However, for Pradeep Malhotra, who runs a catering service in the area, the plane has become a huge problem because it is parked right in front of his shop."My work is suffering because the food cannot be loaded in the big vehicles," he said. "I have to load it in the smaller vans and then carry them to the bigger ones parked at the back. "I don't know how they are going to take it out because you can't reverse it, its too big, and you can't go further down the road."

Some residents said they had not complained simply because they assumed that the authorities would be making it a priority to get the plane out of the city.

Five days on, it is still not clear who is responsible for the aircraft and its transfer to Delhi.

Source: BBC, UK.
Source link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6620461.stm


The owners of the Nishiland Water Park made some minor repairs, but sadly, the water park went bankrupt and hence the plane lies vacant. The plane has a stairway that leads you up and also has AC. Since the plane cannot fly again, the plane is used for a lot for shootings and even for some inflight coaching. You can visit the plane and take photographs by requesting the security guards.



Extract from Google maps in satellite mode.
Link: https://goo.gl/maps/gypGTHbWZvJagFf36


Photos of June 2021:-

[Mafia]

Interesting.

This is a cool way to repurpose the abandoned aircraft. I suppose with the current market fluctuations, these kinds of sites will become more common.

Even the air conditioning is taken care of. If you are allowed on-board the aircraft, do you go in thru the cargo hold or the regular door?

[Porcupine]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

"Nishiland bought the plane for over Rs 1 crore about four months ago."

"The owners of the Nishiland Water Park made some minor repairs, but sadly, the water park went bankrupt."

Jeez, I wonder why..

But this is really cool though. I'm assuming the interior is actually done up to allow for shoots and photography. This a very cool find!

For the aviation enthusiasts on the forum - this was a 737-400 registered as VT-SID.

EDIT: Adding a photo of the airframe while it was still flying.

[akshay4587]

Did anyone not see this photo of old Air India Plane stuck under an Overpass



On a Serious note, these planes turning into restaurants etc are a common thing up North. We have a restaurant operating out of an Airplane on the outskirts of my city on NH-1.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

We have a restaurant operating out of an Airplane on the outskirts of my city on NH-1.

Good to know. Please share details of the place.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

Good to know. Please share details of the place.

Here you go

https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restauran...t_Haryana.html

[Suprit]

On the way from Mumbai to the Ikea Store in Navi Mumbai, there is a Fokker F-27 Friendship parked in a building compound! I think that building houses an aviation training school - will take a closer look next time I pass by.

[Suprit]

On a Serious note, these planes turning into restaurants etc are a common thing up North. We have a restaurant operating out of an Airplane on the outskirts of my city on NH-1.

Punjab has the unique distinction of installing water tanks in shape of aircraft! First read about it in a BBC news feed when I lived in the UK. Attach a news item from The Tribune on how an NRI built a play area in shape of a plane on the roof of his house in Punjab!

[sai_ace]

Here is another abandoned plane at Nagpur - and has a very interesting backstory.

https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/...rt-551537.html

[Herschey]

There is a restaurant by the name of 'Runway 1' in Delhi which uses the fuselage of a Boeing 737 to seat it's guests.

Not know for it's culinary prowess (the place has really bad ratings for it's food), the only draw seems to be the seating space that the restaurant offers. I haven't tried the place myself and neither do I intend to in the near future.

[Ashdel]

Originally Posted by Herschey

Not know for it's culinary prowess (the place has really bad ratings for it's food), the only draw seems to be the seating space that the restaurant offers. I haven't tried the place myself and neither do I intend to in the near future.

This place is walking distance from my house. Its in Rohini. Food is bad, but they really cash on the aircraft experience, which is neither bad nor great.

[ishan12]

Looks like the plane has been repainted now. The place is few kms ahead of Khopoli on old Mumbai-Pune highway when going from Pune to Mumbai. Quite popular among Pune and Mumbai bikers as a spot to click pictures for social media.
From what I know, many film production houses and cabin crew training centers rent the aircraft for shootings and training.
Below is my Inty and a friends CBR- 250 at the same spot from around 2 years ago.


There is another specimen I spotted on the Ahmedabad-Baroda highway last year. It is a few kms before Baroda, parked on the lawn area of the restaurant.
When coming from Ahmedabad, it would fall on the left hand side. The surrounding lawn in the restaurant was under construction then. Looks like an old Air India/ Sahara aircraft.