Air India operated a small fleet of five Airbus A300s in the 1980s and 90s, helping increase its capacity. The last A300 left the fleet in 2002, replaced by a new generation of aircraft. Here's what happened to Air India's A300s.

Delivery of the first

According to data from ATDB.aero, Air India received its first Airbus A300 in July 1982. The A300B4-200 was registered VT-EHN and became the first of three the airline ordered for its growing fleet. The remaining two jets joined the fleet quickly after, in August and November 1982, carrying registrations VT-EHO and -EHQ.

While these three aircraft spent a long time in the AI fleet, there were two temporary aircraft as well. In 1994, the carrier added two A300s from European Airlines to temporarily boost capacity on the network. OO-MKO and V2-LDX only remained for a month, lasting from April to May 1994 and May to June 1994.

European Airlines Airbus A300
European Airlines leased Air India two A300s in 1994. Photo: Pedro Aragão Wikimedia Commons

Notably, while AIr India only had a fleet of three permanent A300, domestic counterpart Indian Airlines flew over a dozen during its time. However, none of these made their way to Air India following the merger.

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Where'd they go?

The A300 has largely faded from global fleets as modern aircraft rapidly take its place. So what happened to Air India's A300s? As noted above, the pair of leased planes quickly made their way back to European Airlines. However, AI's three purchased A300s had a much longer history.

All three aircraft served for 20 years in the fleet, only facing retirement in 2002. They left the fleet in April and May of 2002. However, their journey wasn't over just yet. The trio was purchased by Ariana Afghan Airlines, registering them as YA-BAB, -BAC, and -BAD. This gave the planes a few more years before retirement.

Ariana Afghan A300
Ariana Afghan used the A300s to build their fleet in the early days before eventually buying newer aircraft. Photo: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt via Wikimedia Commons

The A300s were retired by Ariana Afghan in 2007 and 2008. YA-BAD/VT-EHN was involved in a runway accident in 2007 at Istanbul Airport, rendering it damaged beyond repair. The other two planes were subsequently retired and scrapped, ending their service after 25 years of service.

Air India opted not to take up Indian Airlines' A300s either, resulting in the type's end in the fleet.

Replaced

The A300 was replaced by the Airbus A321 for Air India. While a narrowbody, the newer aircraft offered increased range and far better efficiency than its predecessor. The first of the type was introduced in 2007 and remains in the fleet today, flying medium-haul international and domestic routes across the country.

The A300 itself has become a rare aircraft in the sky. Nearly all passenger operators have retired the type, there is one country where it is popular: Iran. Faced with economic sanctions preventing them from adding new aircraft, five Iranian carriers still fly the A300, including notable ones like Iran Air and Mahan Air. For now, don't expect to see too many of these aircraft in the sky.

What do you think about Air India's A300 fleet? Let us know in the comments!