LONDON – On June 3, the European aircraft manufacturing giant, Airbus, announced that it is going to be auctioning a large chunk of its recently recovered Airbus A380 parts.
Where did the extra parts come from?
Unfortunately, due to passenger and cargo demands as well as airport space availability, the Airbus A380 is slowly becoming a dying breed.
Many of the Airbus A380 operators are starting to slowly phase out their aircraft, some of this is due to the age of the airframes but the main reason for the A380 phase-out for most carriers is due to the lack of operating profit that the aircraft is bringing to them.
Really to recover any form of profit from the type, the operator would need to secure at the very least a 90% load factor, otherwise operating the aircraft becomes too expensive.
This phase-out is where these parts have come from.
More specifically, these particular parts that Airbus is auctioning off are from A380 MSN13, which used to belong to Emirates as their second delivered aircraft, A6-EDB that was delivered to the United Arab Emirates carrier back in 2008.
This particular airframe was broken up in late-2021 at Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées Airport (LDE) in southern France by TARMAC Aerospace, which is also a partner of the auction.
TARMAC Aerosave was created back in 2007 by Airbus, Safran, and Suez to delve into the world of aircraft storage, maintenance as well as the dismantling and recycling of aircraft too. This also includes implementing environmentally friendly processes for these activities.
Not only this, but in line with current European guidelines for aircraft dismantling and recycling, TARMAC Aerosave’s techniques enable a recovery rate of more than 90% of the aircraft to be achieved.
The auction itself…
In terms of the auction, it will be carried out on October 13, 14, and 15 later this year in Toulouse, where we will see Airbus auctioning 500 parts from MSN13 to aviation enthusiasts, of which all monies made will go to the benefit of both the Airbus Foundation and AIRitage association.
The vast selection of the 500 Airbus A380 parts that are being auctioned is from the cabin which includes, lamps, the bar, stairs, handrails, trolleys, seats, paddles, and even the cockpit rescue rope.
The AIRitage association was created back in January 2001 after the AEROSPATIALE-MATRA merger and the creation of EADS.
They are responsible for sustaining the heritage of AEROSPATIALE and MATRA, as well as researching, collating, and preserving any documentation fur the benefit of current and future generations.
The Airbus Foundation is the European manufacturer’s commitment to helping humanitarian aid, youth development, and environmental changes using the company’s assets and vital lifelines in making society better and safer for many people around the globe.
Auctioning off 500 A380 parts from a significant aircraft is a great way to bring in money for these causes, as well as bringing some historical value to the type amongst aviation enthusiasts.
Hopefully, we will see Airbus doing more of these auctions in the future from more of their aircraft types.
