Airline company faces £82k parking fee for plane that ‘vanished’ 13 years ago | World | News

Air India is facing a whopping £82,000 parking fee for a passenger plane it lost more than a decade ago. The company conspicuously misplaced a Boeing 737 after a flight in 2012.

The huge 30-ton aircraft disappeared from records and was canceled by the company after management could not trace it. But the mystery of his disappearance was finally solved this month, but it came with a severe sting in its tail. In early December, Kolkata Airport contacted Air India and was told to come and collect the abandoned passenger plane.

They were later stunned when they were presented with a bill of 10 million rupees (about £82,000) to cover Boeing’s parking fees.

It turned out that the plane was left quietly on a remote part of the tarmac at the international airport.

Air India tried to claim that the plane did not belong to them, but was unsuccessful. It appears that Boeing was previously registered with Indian Airlines.

The state-owned company merged with Air India 18 years ago and was leased to the Indian postal service before being converted into a cargo plane.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson reportedly decided to decommission the aircraft. Unfortunately, his decision was not included in official documents and workers searched for an empty jet for months.

Air India has had a tough year following the horrific crash in June that killed more than 200 people.

Flight 171 crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport to London Gatwick on June 12.

While 241 people on the plane lost their lives, 19 people died when it crashed into residential buildings.

Viswashkumar Ramesh was one of 53 British people on board and miraculously survived the horrific crash.

Mr Ramesh, who lives in Leicester, told Sky News he was still experiencing physical discomfort after the crash, dealing with knee, shoulder and back pain as well as burns to his left arm.

Mr Ramesh was offered a fixed interim payment of £21,500; This amount is a one-time sum awarded to the plaintiff before he reaches the end of his personal injury claim.

Air India has been approached for comment.