Buy a piece of history: parts from the first Airbus A380 at auction
The Airbus A380 is being auctioned off in its entirety as part of a project to celebrate a great plane and [...]
The Airbus A380 is being auctioned off in its entirety as part of a project to celebrate a great plane and also support charitable initiatives.
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For airplane enthusiasts, theAirbus A380 is an indisputable piece of history. A four-engine, double-deck aircraft with space from 525 (in the three-class configuration) to 853 people (charter version), it was presented to the world with a test flight on April 27, 2005, but as of 2021 production has been discontinued. To celebrate this giant of civil aviation history, Airbus decided to hold a rather fascinating event. An auction in which each piece is offered for sale of the A380, which will be held next June.
An auction to buy a piece of the Airbus A380
June 23 to 25, 2022 there will be a chance to get your hands on a component of this historic aircraft: lamps, seats, ladder, handrails, bogies, even the cockpit escape rope. In total, we're talking about about 500 items, which will be auctioned off by Marc Labarbe's French house, in an event that will be possible to attend both in person and remotely. Most of the components that will be auctioned come from theA380 MSN13, which entered service on October 23, 2008, and then decommissioned in 2021.
Proceeds from sales will be donated largely to charitable and humanitarian initiatives supported by the Airbus Foundation, while another slice will go to the AIRtage association that works to safeguard aviation heritage and history.
From Air Italy to British Airways, all the other auctions
This is not the first time in the aviation world that aircraft parts have been auctioned off. Of a different kind is the one discovered two years ago that was about Air Italy. On a site dedicated to stock sales of material from bankruptcies, all the branded and unused material had appeared. And so between an ad for a tractor and one for an office desk, hundreds of Air Italy "branded" plates, cutlery, tableware popped up. But also the cloths that were served to business passengers to wipe their hands as soon as they were seated on board and blankets.
British Airways, on the other hand, auctioned off in November 2020. all materials offered by the first class after retiring a large number of aircraft including the 747 and A380s. The company aimed to dispose of the equipment that would remain unused in the hangars. To do so, it chose the specialized auction site Whayabuy to earn a nest egg. On the site it was possible to buy plates, glasses, trolleys used during in-flight service or pajamas. All the products of course were branded British Airways.
On The Flight Club we also told you about the story of a Delta Airlines Boeing 747 which was dismantled in its entirety and sold at auction on eBay. Indeed, it was possible to find business class passenger seats, safety equipment and even the window panel for sale. Among the most sought-after items was the co-passenger seat.
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