When Jet Airways stopped flying from India to Canada, Air India stepped in. VT-ALP is our first Air India Boeing 777-300ER to be featured here at It’s About Airplanes. We photographed this B77W on September 12, 2020 while plane spotting at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on VT-ALP, the Boeing 777-300ER model in general and the airline.
Image Gallery
VT-ALP
Boeing 777-300ER
Air India
Resources
VT-ALP Air India Boeing 777-300ER Image Gallery
High resolution versions of this type of aircraft and much more are available at Dreamstime. Want to earn cash from your own photos? Why not sign up for free with Dreamstime and start submitting now: Become a paid photographer!
VT-ALP
VT-ALP performed its first flight on July 31, 2009. The Boeing 777-337ER was delivered to Air India on August 25, 2009. You won’t find it in English on the side of the airplane but this aircraft is named Madhya Pradesh. This is one of 15 Boeing 777-300ER models in the fleet with five more on order.
This airliner is configured for a maximum total of 342 passengers. There are four seats in first class, 35 more in business class and 303 economy class seats.
On May 12, 2012, VT-ALP was flying from Delhi, India to Frankfurt, Germany. Cruising at 36,000 feet over Bucharest, Romania, a cargo smoke indicator was received by the crew. It was decided to divert to Bucharest as a precaution. After a safe landing, no sign of smoke or fire was detected. The alarm was attributed to a load of mangos and the fumes from chemicals used to ripen these tropical fruit.
It was another cargo smoke alarm on August 25, 2016 that interrupted a flight. This time, the B77W was flying from Mumbai, India to Newark, New Jersey. Cruising at 32,000 feet over Aktobe, Kazakhstan, another cargo smoke indicator was received and the cargo fire suppression system was activated. The aircraft was diverted to Aktobe for a safe landing. An alternate Boeing 777 (VT-ALK) was brought in to resume the flight while VT-ALP was grounded for 21 hours.
See more aircraft at our Air India Fleet Page.
Access all our featured aircraft at the Airplane Index Page.
Boeing 777-300ER
The Boeing 777-300ER was first delivered to launch customer Air France in 2004, nearly a decade after the initial 777 variant was introduced with United Airlines in 1995. The ER is for ‘extended range’ and this aircraft can fly a lofty 13,650 kilometres between stops.
The B77W is 74 metres or 242 feet in length with a wingspan of 65 metres or 213 feet. At the tail, the airliner is 19 metres or 61 feet in height. Though not the most glamorous of the big airplanes, the Boeing 777-300ER is longer than both the Boeing 747-400 (by 10 feet) and Airbus A380-800 (by 3 feet).
Air India
Air India was founded in 1932 as Tata Airlines. It commenced operations under its current name in 1946, at the end of World War II. Headquartered at the Airlines House in Delhi, India, the airline is a member of the Star Alliance. Air India flies to over 100 destinations worldwide.
The main fleet consists of nearly 130 aircraft. This count does not include subsidiaries Air India Express and Alliance Air. The largest in the fleet is the Boeing 777-300ER. The smallest is the Airbus A319-100. With 27 each, the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner are the most numerous.