A Boeing 727-200 that was abandoned at Noi Bai International Airport for nearly 2 decades has finally been recovered as a training model for aviation students. On May 1, 2007, due to technical issues, the aircraft was forced to stop operations and has been parked at Noi Bai International.
Recovery of the aircraft will be given to the Vietnam Aviation Academy
The decision to relocate the aircraft is from Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan. The B727-200 parked at Noi Bai International will be handed over to the Vietnam Aviation Academy in hopes that the aircraft can be put to better use as a training aid. The Vietnam Aviation Academy plans to receive the aircraft and transport it to the campus, Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa Province. Recently, Vietnamese start-up airlines have also acquired more orders of B787S to expand their fleets.
The proposal was initially submitted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and has now been fully actioned. Plans for the academy to hire a specialised team to dismantle, transport and reassemble the plane have been estimated to cost approximately 9.6 billion VND (Vietnamese Dong). Unfortunately, the plane is not capable of taking flight, but Boeing has retained its essential components, such as its frame, passenger seats and landing gear. These parts will be used to train aircraft maintenance students as well as cabin crew procedures.
Repurposing the Boeing is a practical solution for modern aviation training
The 50.8-year-old derelict aircraft, the CAAV assures, will be repurposed for a practical solution in meeting modern aviation training needs. As no organisation had come forward to reclaim the plane, it remained abandoned for several years. The academy has stated that it has enough funds from tuition and sponsorships to cover the entire project without cutting into any state budget.
Previously owned by Cambodia’s Royal Khmer Airlines, the aircraft had been left abandoned due to the revoking of the airlines operating licence in 2014. Authorities tried to auction off the aircraft, but its deteriorating condition made the value depleted and it was difficult to sell. This led to the decision for a repurposing to occur to be used as public training equipment.
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