There are over 1500 registered commercial airplanes in India, of which more than 600 are actively flying, according to ch-aviation. With some existing airlines inducting newer planes into their fleets, the country is home to many young aircraft. However, there are some that have been flying for decades, serving in all kinds of roles.

While most of India's 600+ active commercial planes are fairly young, some have been around for decades. Photo: Venkat Mangudi via Wikimedia Commons

More than half a century old

According to ch-aviation, the oldest active aircraft in India is a 53.43 years old Boeing 707 with registration number K2899. While it currently flies for the Indian Air Force (IAF), it has a commercial history and flew for Air India from 1968 to 1987 as VT-DXT.

The next three active airplanes on the list are also commercial-turned-military planes - all Boeing 737-200s which flew for former Indian Airlines. VT-EAJ with serial number 273 first entered service in January 1971 with Indian Airlines. In 1993 it was acquired by the IAF, and its registration changed to K3187. It is 51.04 years old.

The other two B737s bought by the IAF are K2412 and K2413 and both are around 38 years old. These older refurbished 737s are mainly used as VIP aircraft to fly top politicians in the country.

While not in commercial service anymore, the 737s fly for the IAF but flew commercially in the past for former Indian Airlines. Photo: John Wheatley via Wikimedia Commons

Cargo dominates the list

Moving further down the list, the next few airplanes are all from cargo operators. That's hardly a surprise since cargo airlines often go for converted older planes that no longer fly passengers. The oldest among these all belong to Blue Dart Aviation, a cargo airline based in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

All six Boeing 757-200(PCF)s make up the entire fleet of Blue Dart and are between 24 to almost 30 years old. The oldest of the six, VT-BDO (29.68 years), entered service in 1992 with Britannia Airways and was converted into a freighter in 2002 for Boullioun Aviation Services. After flying cargo for a couple of other carriers, it entered Blue Dart's fleet in July 2012.

Blue Dart's VT-BDO is one of the oldest airplanes in the country at almost 30 years old. Photo: Venkat Mangudi via Wikimedia Commons

Joining the list are five passenger-to-cargo-converted Boeing 737s of SpiceXpress, the cargo division of India's low-cost carrier SpiceJet. Three of these freighters are the 737-700 variant and two -800.

All five have been flying for over two decades, with the oldest, VT-SFB, being 23.45 years old with serial number 73. Joining Xiamen Airlines in 1998 and changing owners a couple of times, it was converted into a freighter for SpiceXpress in 2018.

Passenger jets

Two of the oldest active airplanes among India's passenger jets surprisingly belong to IndiGo, known for its young narrowbody fleet. The two Airbus A320-200 with registrations VT-IKC and VT-IHV are fast approaching the two-decade mark at 18.88 and 17.76 years, respectively. The older of the two first flew for the Gulf carrier Qatar Airways in 2003 and joined IndiGo fairly recently in 2019.

Indigo-Runway-Landing
No official cause for the deviation has been given. Photo: Getty Images.

Regional carrier Star Air's four Embraer 145LRs also make it to the list, with all four between 17 and 18 years old.

Rounding out the top 10 oldest active passenger jets are SpiceJet's 737-800 (VT-SGJ, 16.88 years), an Embraer 135LR of air charter company India Fly Safe Aviation (VT-JSI, 16.83 years), AirAsia India's A320-200 (VT-HYD, 16.13 years) and Air India's A319-200 (VT-SCB, 16.1 years).

When it comes to old aircraft, Air India's four 747s, which are more than 25 years old, often come to mind. Although they're still part of AI's fleet, they're not actively flying. As per ch-aviation and other flight tracking apps, all four jumbos are parked and haven't been in commercial service in months .

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Special mention

Airports Authority of India (AAI) also has two of the oldest active airplanes in the country. Although not used for carrying passengers or cargo, its two Dornier 228-200 airplanes are part of AAI's flight inspection unit.

VT-ENK and VT-EPU are well over three decades old at 35.3 and 33.79 years, respectively. AAI deploys them to inspect airport features such as ground navigational and visual landing aids. These airplanes have also examined airports of neighboring countries, including Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, under UNDP projects and bilateral agreements.