No one wants jinxed IC-814, even as scrap

Three years after the Kandahar hijack, the woes of the IC-814 are yet to end. The ill-fated flight may have inspired some books and a Bollyw...

Three years after the Kandahar hijack, the woes of the IC-814 are yet to end. The ill-fated flight may have inspired some books and a Bollywood film project, but it finds no takers now — not even among the most obscure junk dealers.

Not only did an attempt to sell this Airbus 300 fall through, even a tender to dispose it of as scrap attracted less than the reserve price. Since the Indian Airlines plans to re-issue the tender, officials are tightlipped about the reserve price. However, sources revealed that the expectations were way below Rs 1 crore. Yet the bids fell short. The difference between the reserve price and the quotations received apparently ran into several lakhs, making it ‘‘impossible’’ for the company to reach a compromise.


A file photo of the Kandahar hijack

It was a policy decision to phase out the Airbus 300s and keep only Airbus 320s, and the airline decided to sell off the plane five days before it was hijacked in 1999.

A jinx seems to have befallen the aircraft ever since. On February 5, 2000, about a month after its return from Kandahar, the plane was impounded as case property and confined to the Airbus 300 hangar at Mumbai. While the case dragged on in a Patiala court, Indian Airlines issued a global tender for its sale on March 22, 2000. It received no bids. So, another tender was floated. This time, Florida-based Aviation System International (ASI) Inc. came up with an offer of $ 2,375,000 for the aircraft.

Story continues below this ad

On September 25, 2000, the Ministry of Civil Aviation gave its approval for the deal. ASI Inc. paid $ 118,000 as earnest money. However, the Patiala court turned down the Indian Airlines’ plea for permission to sell it. The case then went to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

On December 12, 2000, the HC cleared the sale, subject to conditions like building of a 10-ft long model of the aircraft as well as proper photography and videography of all the evidence. In February 2001, ASI Inc. was asked to pay the remaining amount and take the plane away.

But the plans were again grounded. After first stating that it could not take delivery for three months, ASI Inc. withdrew its offer citing lack of hangar space and constraints of production schedule. The Indian Airlines ended up retaining the money.

The Airlines Board then decided to take out the functional parts and sell the plane as scrap. A tender was floated through Metal Scrap and Trading Corporation of India in December 2002. But Airlines officials were stunned when they found that it did not attract even the minimum price. Now, plans are afoot to reissue the same tender after revising the prices.

Story continues below this ad

Meanwhile, the aircraft, stripped of all its vital parts, continues to occupy precious hangar space in Mumbai.