In a shocking case of aviation mismanagement, a Boeing-777 aircraft has remained grounded at Nagpur's Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for over five years. The wide-body jet, with the call sign VT-ALL, landed in February 2020 for a mandatory overhaul but never took off again, instead becoming a source of spare parts for other aircraft.
The Beginning of the Endless Wait
The aircraft arrived at the MRO depot operated by Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) in Mihan-SEZ, Nagpur, for a scheduled C-check. This maintenance procedure typically requires around 30 days for completion. However, the process was derailed almost immediately. Sources reveal that a quick-fix decision set off a chain of events. Another Boeing-777, which had arrived around the same time for a shorter phase check, required a spare part.
Engineers at the depot made the unusual decision to remove the required component from VT-ALL and install it in the other aircraft. This act of "cannibalization" was done with the assumption that a fresh spare would be sourced for VT-ALL shortly. That replacement never arrived in time.
From Aircraft to 'Strip Store'
What began as a single part removal soon turned into a systematic stripping operation. As the delay in procuring new spares stretched from days to months and then years, VT-ALL became a convenient parts bank. One after another, aircraft that came for maintenance at the Nagpur MRO flew away after taking some crucial component or other from the stranded Boeing-777.
The plane cannot be declared airworthy or fly without an Airworthiness Release Certificate (ARC), which it cannot obtain in its incomplete state. The initial delay, expected to last only a few days, has now persisted for more than half a decade.
Ownership Change and Continued Delays
At the time the practice began, both AIESL and Air India were part of the same government-owned group, which may have made the part-sharing seem internally permissible. However, this exposed critical flaws in inventory management. The Tata Group's takeover of Air India in 2022 brought AIESL under new ownership and injected fresh urgency into resolving the situation.
Work on making VT-ALL airworthy again gained momentum post-takeover. However, the project has been plagued by further postponements. The rollout date has been pushed back at least three times—first from November to December, then to January. Sources indicate that work is currently ongoing on the aircraft's fuel tank. Despite the efforts, the Boeing remains in Nagpur.
When approached for comments, the AIESL management did not respond. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later shifted responsibility for the delays onto Air India. This incident highlights a severe breakdown in supply chain and maintenance protocols at a major Indian aviation facility, leaving a multi-million dollar asset idle for years.
