INDIA: Indian Navy Aircraft Carrier To Become Floating Hotel

The Andhra Pradesh state government plans to turn a historic Indian Navy aircraft carrier into a floating hotel.

Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the Indian defence ministry will hand over the INS Viraat aircraft carrier following its last operational tour of duty which it is conducting at the moment.

The Viraat is reputedly the world's oldest operational aircraft carrier and was built 57 years ago.

The British-built Centaur class carrier has sailed for the Indian navy for 29 years.

Commander C.G. Raju, public relations officer of the Eastern Naval Command, said the Viraat will be decommissioned this year.

It will then be converted into a 500-room hotel and will likely be docked at Visakhapatnam, where India's only submarine museum is located.

Chief minister Naidu expects it to draw more visitors to the state, India's Livemint website reported.