Despite not having flown for the German flag carrier for almost four decades, this week has been a bad one for “Lufthansa’s” Boeing 707s. Yesterday Simple Flying reported that a former 707 at Hamburg Airport would be scrapped. Today it became apparent that another aircraft at Berlin’s closed Tegel Airport would suffer the same fate.
Not many international airports can lay claim to an aircraft as old as the Boeing 707. However, for a couple of German airports, this is the case. While one aircraft is no longer wanted by the airport, the other must be moved due to an airport’s closure.
“D-ABOC” set to be scrapped
According to German aviation publication aeroTELEGRAPH, the aircraft known as Lufthansa’s D-ABOC is set to be scrapped. D-ABOC is named after the city of Berlin. Having been retired by the airline, the aircraft was donated to the city. The aircraft was a museum piece at the airport, and one point occupied a space in front of a roundabout.
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However, in 1998 the aircraft was moved to the fire station at the north of the airport, making it inaccessible to the public, according to München Airport. 21 years ago, the aircraft was moved to a parking spot at the airport’s edge adjacent to a forest. The latest google satellite imagery shows the aircraft caked in dirt.
It never actually flew for Lufthansa
However, in a bizarre turn of fate, while bearing the registration number D-ABOC, and sporting the Lufthansa livery, the aircraft never actually flew for Lufthansa, nor was it registered as Lufthansa’s D-ABOC.
Instead, it was actually operated by the Israeli airline, El Al. It entered service in 1961 and flew until June 1985 registered as 4X-ATB. The aircraft was painted in the Lufthansa livery before it left Tel Aviv and was flown to Berlin via Frankfurt. It appears that the current D-ABOC was given to Lufthansa as a gift to commemorate the airline’s 200th Boeing delivery.
Parts will be auctioned
This isn’t the first article we’ve written this month about auctions for things at Berlin Tegel. As the airport is being decommissioned, everything from chairs to snowplows is currently being auctioned. However, there’s something else to be added to the list.
With the airport closing, the current D-ABOC cannot remain where it is. As such, the aircraft will be scrapped. Some parts will be saved for a museum, while other vital components will be auctioned in the future. According to the aeroTELEGRAPH, a contractual clause means that Lufthansa will have to bear the cost of moving and scrapping the aircraft.
What do you make of the fate of Lufthansa’s Boeing 707s? Would you want to buy a part at an auction? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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