Scrapped aircraft wheeled out of Kolkata airport takes Jessore Road motorists by surprise

KOLKATA: A Boeing B737 aircraft (registration No. VT-EGG) that was rotting on the airport grounds for the past five years was carted away by a scrap dealer in the wee hours of Saturday. Motorists on Jessore Road were left gaping as the plane was transported on the deck of a tractor trailer.
Nearly a dozen planes are still lying idle at the airport, waiting to be disposed. The B737 aircraft belonged to erstwhile Indian Airlines and was used by India Post towards the fag end of its life. It was grounded in 2014 and has been lying before the Air India hangar at Kolkata airport since.
The scrap aircraft that had already been cannibalised for parts, was sold to a scrap dealer for Rs 17 lakh-18 lakh recently. Talks are underway with the same dealer to sell another IA Boeing plane that is grounded for years. Earlier this year, Alliance Air had sold off an ATR aircraft that had been damaged beyond repair when a Jet Airways passenger coach had rammed it some years ago.