Boeing 747 plane abandoned in Hong Kong faces scrapyard but aviation enthusiasts call for more creative use of iconic jumbo jet
- Airport Authority Hong Kong understood to be planning to dismantle plane formerly operated by Orient Thai Airlines
- While plane unlikely to fly again, some call for it to be converted into restaurant or boutique hotel
A Boeing 747 plane abandoned in Hong Kong faces being scrapped though aviation fans hope it can be spared as the number of the iconic jumbo jets, dubbed the “queen of the skies”, left in the world dwindles.
The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) was understood to be planning to dismantle the plane formerly operated by Orient Thai Airlines, after the now-defunct carrier cut the aircraft adrift three years ago.
Hong Kong-based aviation expert Mike Walsh described the 747 planes as “iconic”, but said that without seeing the latest details of the plane’s inspections, among other documents, it was hard to ascertain the hull and engine value of the Orient Thai plane. Walsh did not hold out much hope for its value and understood the condition of the plane was “particularly poor”.
Doubting the plane would fly again, he urged creative thinking rather than the scrapyard.
“If this were a Southeast Asian country, it may have been converted into a restaurant or boutique hotel perhaps,” he said.