French giant Airbus to auction off 500 pieces of iconic A380 jet
The proceeds of the auction – involving seats, trolleys, staircases and bars – will go to charity. Most come from a single plane
The double-decker Airbus A380 superjumbo first flew in 2005 and the final model was delivered in December 2021
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French aircraft manufacturer Airbus is to auction off almost 500 items from its iconic superjumbo A380, with all the profits going to charity to help humanitarian projects and aeronautical heritage.
Items will include lights, seats, trolleys, staircases, bars, and even emergency cockpit cord.
The auction will take place this October. All proceeds will go to the Fondation Airbus and the AIRitage association.
Auction organiser Maison Labarde said: "This is an opportunity for aviation lovers to treat themselves to a real piece of history, through pieces selected for their technological and often aesthetic interest.”
Most of the pieces come from the A380 MSN13 model. It entered service on October 23, 2008 and was operated by UAE flagship airline Emirates. It had three classes and could carry up to 489 passengers.
Some other pieces, including Business Class seats, will come from other aircraft.
The Fondation Airbus finances humanitarian work, while the AIRitage association works to safeguard aeronautical heritage.
The Airbus A380 took its inaugural flight from the Toulouse-Blagnac (Haute-Garonne, Occitanie) airport on April 27, 2005.
It stopped being manufactured in 2019, with its last delivery in December 2021, and is now used less than during its heyday. However, it is still the aircraft of choice for several long-haul carriers, especially as flights resume following the Covid crisis.
Read more: French aircraft giant Airbus delivers last A380 superjumbo to Emirates
Emirates was Airbus’ largest customer for the jet and still holds the largest fleet, but the plane was also popular among Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Qantas, and Etihad.
Flight monitoring service Flightradar said that on April 21, there were 50 Airbus A380s in the sky, showing that it is still very much in use.
However, pre-pandemic, the same site estimated that there were 240 in service, showing that its popularity has declined significantly in recent months.
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