Aviation

Paintings from Air India’s Rs 750-crore collection have gone missing

According to business economics The paintings included work by prominent artists such as MF Husain and Jatin Das. “They were kept in a hall in the Air India headquarters,” reported The Quint.While Air India has not yet confirmed media reports, it has initiated an inquiry to verify allegation about the theft of paintings from its vast collection. “As regards the painting mentioned… the matter is being inquired into and details should also be available shortly,” the airline said in a statement.

Sources told India Today, the paintings could have gone off the radar and entered the black market for famous works when the airport terminus building was shifted.

Mystery of the missing paintings

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The theft came to light after painter Jatin Das was contacted by a curator to verify a piece of work he had done for Air India prior to its sale. Das had painted it in 1991 and till a few years ago, it was hanging at the Air India lounge in the International Airport in Mumbai. Das claimed that one of his paintings commissioned by Air India had gone missing and was available on the open market, which, he said, could be a result of “indifference, negligence and theft”. The horizontal oil painting is titled ‘Flying Apsara’. It was commissioned in 1991 by Air India.

Das is now looking for answers on how a 3 feet x 6 feet painting reached the art market when it was part of Air India’s collection.

“Jatin Das has recently written a letter (June 24, 2017) to the CMD (Air India) asking for photographs and details of the paintings in our collection that were made by him,” Air India said in a statement.

“This information is being compiled and would be sent to him shortly.”

India Today, quoting sources, said Air India at one time had 7,000 odd paintings and artefacts, and the ongoing audit has so far tracked only 3,500 odd pieces in the Mumbai headquarter of Air India and in other Air India offices, according to India Today.
The allegation of missing artworks against the national carrier come at a time the Cabinet has given an in-principle approval for disinvestment of Air India, which is under a debt of Rs 52,000 crore.

Aviation

Lost Tool Found in Qantas A380 After 34 Flights

An Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation recently revealed that a Qantas A380 operated 34 flights with a 1.25-meter nylon tool lodged in one of its engines.

This turning tool, used during borescope inspections to rotate the intermediate-pressure compressor, was left behind during scheduled maintenance at Los Angeles on December 6, 2023. It remained inside the engine until it was discovered by maintenance staff during a subsequent check at Los Angeles on January 1, 2024.

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The ATSB report highlights two critical lapses. First, maintenance engineers failed to notice the tool during final checks for foreign objects after the borescope inspection. Second, the lost tool procedure was not activated when the tool was identified as missing.

The certifying engineer ultimately cleared the aircraft for service without accounting for the misplaced tool. During the time qantas films the tool was inside, the A380 completed 34 flight cycles, accumulating nearly 294 hours without any noticeable effect on engine performance.

Although the tool was deformed by high-energy airflow within the engine, there was no reported damage to the engine itself. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell commented.

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“This incident underscores the importance of following established maintenance protocols. Engineers missed the tool during foreign object checks, and the required lost tool procedure wasn’t started after realizing the tool was missing.”

Following the investigation, the airline issued a safety directive, urging all engineering and tool storage teams to adhere strictly to these protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.

A qantas spokesperson stated, “While the tool didn’t impact engine performance, we take this incident very seriously. It is critical to follow the correct lost tool procedures.”