For over 24 years, Nagpur Airport had an unwelcome guest near its runway: a Boeing 720. The plane landed at the airport due to an emergency in 1991 and was never flown back. The 720 had an interesting history, flying for airlines globally before finally reaching private hands. Here's a story of Nagpur Airport's Boeing 720.
Touch down
On July 21st, 1991, a Boeing 720 landed at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in India. The airport serves the city of Nagpur, known for its tigers and oranges. The plane requested emergency permission to land due to engine issues, which was granted. At the time, the aircraft was flying as a private jet, registered to Continental Aviation Private Limited (CAPL) - no relation to airlines of the same name.
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Usually, such a landing would be followed up by the deployment of a maintenance team to find and correct the engine issues. However, this does not seem to have happened. Instead, the 720 was left next to the runway of Nagpur Airport. The plane's presence dragged on for months and then years until 2015.
Several suggestions were made for new uses for the aircraft, including converting it into a restaurant, museum, and model for training crew. However, nothing panned out.
The aircraft's owner claims he wanted to remove the plane from Nagpur to his private land, but the airport management demanded rent. The two parties could not find a reasonable solution, leaving the aircraft stuck at Nagpur and accumulating parking fees. Eventually, the issue went before the Mumbai High Court.
A wayward jet in the way
Caught in a legal battle, the Boeing 720 was marooned at Nagpur Airport. As flight traffic increased in the coming decades, the plane's position became a growing concern. In 1993, the aircraft was moved just 90 meters from the runway, far closer than the 150 minimum set for obstructions. The distance is set to ensure that any plane deviating from the runway does not crash into a large object, a grave threat.
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According to the Times of India, the private owners of Nagpur Airport refused to move the plane despite repeated warnings from regulator DGCA. It took until July 2011, when the DGCA threatened to take away the airport operator's license, to move the plane to a safe distance of 600 meters away from the runway.
However, only in 2015 did Nagpur Airport take the long-overdue step of removing the plane from its premises. According to Nagpur Today, the new airport director decided to finally move the aircraft and completed the project in just 30 minutes. On September 29th, the 720 made its way from the airport to the Nagpur Flying Club. All it took was a set of fresh tires to tug the plane to its new home after 24 years of sitting on the ground and threatening airport operations.
History
According to Planelogger, the Boeing 720 started its life at Eastern Airlines in the US as N8705E in September 1961. The plane returned to Boeing for refurbishing and onward sale just under a decade later. Next, the aircraft arrived with Conair of Scandinavia, a Danish carrier, in January 1970 as OY-DSL. The aircraft was then purchased by Independant Air (N7229L), who leased it briefly to the travel club Atlanta Skylarks before selling it on to Eagle International Ministries. It was then left at San Diego Brown Field Municipal Airport until it found a home with CAPL and re-registered to VT-ERS.
The Boeing 720 reached India in 1990, a full 30 years after its delivery to Eastern. Sadly, it flew only one year before becoming stuck in Nagpur Airport for the rest of its life. It is far from the only aircraft abandoned around the world. A ditched and disused former Mandala Air Boeing 737 in Bali is being converted into a luxury villa. The aircraft was moved in two sections and reassembled on a hilltop overlooking the sea.