India's oldest serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat bid a farewell visit to Chennai port as the last port of call in the Eastern Command. It is set to be decommissioned by this year end, after a saga of 28 years of glorious service since May 1987. INS Viraat is the only serving steam-propelled aircraft carrier.<br/><br/>Its commanding officer Captain Puneet Chadha told newspersons on board the ship, the more sophisticated aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, under construction at the Cochin Shipyard, is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy by 2018. INS Viraat was involved in the Operation Parakram and Operation Jupiter and also participated in the recent International Fleet Review held at Vishakapattinam.