Thread by @sidelower

Starting a new series today - images from a bygone era of Indian Civil Aviation. Kicking off with these two B738s of the former Air Sahara at @DelhiAirport
#avgeek #DELClicks

And then, the throwback to the @Airbus A380's first ever visit to @DelhiAirport for a proving flight. It was organised by the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. I can still remember the buzz this giant caused among the local #avgeek community #DELClicks

And a bonus video from that day as well. It has not 1, but 3 different 4 types of engined widebodies. Now how often do you get to see that nowadays? #AvGeek

Read that as 3 different types of 4-engined widebodies :p

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of the Sahara tricolour livery. For me, this livery, especially on the CRJ200 looked way better #avgeek #DELClicks

I had never thought I'd see a BAe/Avro 146 in service in India. MDLR operated these awesome birds for a short while, before financial issues shut them down. Sound familiar? #AvGeek #DELClicks

Before it got its own fleet of B777LRs and 777Ws, AI had a couple of leased 200ERs. This here was VT-AIJ, evocatively named 'Nilambari', one that belongs to the sky! #DELClicks #AvGeek

Since @SnapperSurgeon asked, here is an Airbus A300B4 in Ariana colours. 3 of these former Indian Airlines birds were donated in 2002 to help rebuild Afghan aviation #avgeek #DELCLicks

Continuing with the Classics, here's another. A B737-2TD4 operated by @BlueDart_ The plane had earlier been in service with several Chinese airlines #avgeek #DELClicks

An Airbus classic, the A310. Apart from Air India, another regular operator till the late noughties was our neighbour, Biman Bangladesh #DELClicks #AvGeek

Today marks the Golden Jubilee of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. I don't think I have an image of the tri-holer, but I do have a few of its later variant, the MD-11. This here was operated by Shanghai Airlines, a regular at BOM #AvGeek

Red & White isn't the only thing common in the tale of these two airlines
#DelClicks #AvGeek

Saw a pic of a @JazeeraAirways A320neo on Insta today. Thought it was a good enough excuse to post a pic of their old colours #DELClicks #avgeek

Long before the big man in Antilla bought his wife a fancy toy, the bad boy of Kingfisher villa was roaming the skies in his A319 ACJ. Seen departing rwy 10 on yet another jaunt. What followed is another story. #avgeek #DELCLicks

Taking a break from white and red aircraft and sharing something rare. An Emirates A330 lifting off from rwy 28 on its way to DXB. This beauty was a welcome relief from the ubiquitous EK B777s #avgeek #DELClicks

The days of ascension in Indian aviation. a Jet Airways B77W and A333 get attention before their next flights. In the background work was on full steam for T3 @DelhiAirport
#AvGeek #DELClicks

Of all the planes in the world, this was the one I waited for the most. Emperor Narsimhavarman, one of two (and rare) B747-3 Combi operated by @airindiain on NRT-DEL sector #avgeek #DELCLicks

Perhaps my craziest sighting ever! An Ilyushin Il-18 'Coot' of all things at DEL. And for more, just search for tbe the regn EX-786 online. This was indeed one crazy Russkie :D #avgeek

Since @ChaiBiskutBhai asked, here is another one of my fave birds that visited DEL. @VirginAtlantic's A346 'Mystic Maiden' preparing for her return trip to LHR #avgeek #DELClicks

And now for my next number, I'd like to return to the Classics. A lovely IC B737-200 with those awesome PW-JT8Ds. This was a regular on the DEL-BBI-VTZ leg. #AvGeek #DELClicks

Late evening on the old domestic apron at @DelhiAirport. Come to think of it, you won't find these airlines flying around anymore, at least not under these names / colours #DELClicks #avgeek

A rare Air India A330-200. This was VT- IWA which saw service for less than 4 years with the carrier. Caught this beauty while shopping in the neighbourhood ;) #AvGeek

And not everyday did you come across a Yakovlev Yak-42 trijet in Delhi. This a/c came as charter flight, and had seen service with at least a dozen other operators before ending up with Rusjet here #AvGeek #DELClicks

From Russia to Brazil. Paramount promised the ultimate pipe dream, Biz class travel at Eco class price. We all knew how that would end. Nevertheless, the Embraer E170s were beauties and this one followed us from COK just as we landed in MAA #AvGeek

Another @airindiain rarity. For a short period the airline also leased a couple of Boeing 767-300s before its 777s came on board. This was CS-TLQ which had seen service with many operators earlier & is now part of the Chilean Air Force #AvGeek #DELClicks

From Lahore via Quetta. Those were calmer days when PIA used to operate two routes into DEL. This one was from LHE operated by a B 737-340 'Quetta - Nature's Orchard'
#AvGeek #DELClicks

Mad Dogs and Bangladeshis! Perhaps one of the noisiest planes in history. This rare (for India) MD-80 belonging to Dhaka based GMG Airlines was a frequent visitor to DEL. And boy, what a show it used to put up! #AVGeek #DELClicks

Speaking of rare beauties, here's another. Etihad operated only 2 B767s in its history, and this one turned up unexpectedly, one monsoon afternoon.
#AvGeek #DELClicks

Continuing with 767s from our neighborhood, here's one coming in from Kabul, flying under Kam Air colours. Afghan airlines, like Iran next door operate a fleet of old school aircraft not easily seen otherwise #AvGeek #DELClicks

Not the best of pics, but the only one I have of the short-lived Jet Airways A340s. Took this moments after we arrived in Jari Mari. In the background an old AI B742 awaited its fate #AvGeek

Exactly 12 years ago @DelhiAirport 's third runway 11-29 opened for regular operations. And I was there to catch the arrival of the first ever commercial flight on it - a @British_Airways B772 from LHR #avgeek #DELClicks

In difficult times, everyone looks the other way #couplechallege

When Scarlet Lady met the King of Good Times. @VirginAtlantic VS301 operated by an A346 roars off to LHR, just as a Kingfisher A320 vacates the runway #AVGeek #DELClicks

Since @khabri_lal loves them so much, here is one of the #AllianceAir B732 Classics. You've gotta love those pencil thin but monstrously loud JT8Ds
#AVGeek #DELClicks

The second time an A380 visited DEL, and the first commercial run. @emirates decided to swap a T7 for this giant whale, which helped DEL T3 test its systems for A380 ops. Despite the gloomy day, the light turned perfect just for this moment #AVGeek #DELClicks

Switching to the military side for a bit. Long before IAF bought its C-17s, they were still a regular sight at DEL, courtesy USAF supply runs. This one coming in, one balmy evening on Rwy 28 #AVGeek #DELClicks

On the subject of VIP planes, here's a lesser known one. The Boeing C32 / 757 used mainly by the Vice President, First Lady or the Secretary of State. It is the latter who was aboard when it landed at DEL #AVGeek #DELClicks

Late summer afternoons in Delhi can look apocalyptical. On one such day, a visitor from Jordan came calling. An Airbus A310 named Zuhair, operated by Jordan Aviation #AVGeek #DELClicks

Indus Air was one of the most obscure operators of the 2000s. HQed out of Ghaziabad and funded by local businessmen, the airline operated for all of 3 months before shutting down. Their CRJ200s spent much longer on an obscure corner on the DEL tarmac
#AVGeek #DELCLicks

What if I told you this Mil-Mi8 MTV was operated by Jagson Airlines? Alongside its Do-228s, Jagson operated 2 of these Russian leased choppers for short hops. Perhaps one of the rare cases of an Indian airline having both fixed & rotary wing in its fleet #DELClicks #avgeek

In its infancy, @etihad's Crystal Cargo fleet operated 2 Airbus A300-600 aircraft, which occasionally visited DEL. Caught TF-ELK as it was taxiing off rwy 28. This a/c now is now operated by ASL Ireland for DHL. #avgeek #DELClicks

Another classic - VT-EHH saw nearly 25 years of service with IA, before it was converted by AI for India Post cargo duties. Sadly, this venture didn't last long and the airframe ended up in Rajasthan as a themed restaurant. Seen here in its final days at DEL #AVgeek #DELClicks

The reason why Netflix dedicated an episode of Bad Boy Billionaires to VJM
#avgeek

Sunday Special: VT-AIE 'Mamallapuram' preparing to rocket down the runway. Interestingly, it was headed to Madras, the nearest airport to the heritage site after which it was named
#AVGeek #DELClicks