Airbus set to auction off parts from retired A380 superjumbo jet including the bar

Airbus is giving aviation enthusiasts an opportunity to own parts from a superjumbo, the wings of which were made in one of the UK largest factories here in Flintshire.

More than 500 parts including lamps, the bar, stairs, handrails, trolleys, seats, paddles, and even the cockpit rescue rope will be offered at an auction to be held in Toulouse and on the Internet later this week.

Almost all the parts in the auction – which takes place on 13,14 and 15th October – come from the A380 MSN13 which was operated by Emirates.

The aircraft entered service on 23 October 2008, carrying up to 489 passengers in a three-class configuration, it was retired and deconstructed in 2021 by TARMAC Aerosave.

In addition to pieces taken directly from MSN13, some seats from other A380 aircraft are being included in the auction, as well as a flight suit worn by A380 test pilot Claude Lelaie on the first flight test campaign for the jet.

Most of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Airbus Foundation to help fund its humanitarian initiatives.

Proceeds will also be donated to the AIRitage association, which works to protect aviation heritage. 

Some of these parts, such as blades, have been “entrusted” to artists who have turned them into works of art.

Airbus invited artists to claim one or more of the A380 parts that will be auctioned this week.

Airbus said: “An industrial part can sometimes resemble a work of art: design, materials, complexity often make them elements with unique characteristics. ”

“But industrial objects can also meet artistic creation in more surprising ways.”

“Airbus has decided to entrust certain A380 parts selected for the auction to artists specialising in street art.”

The first Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger aircraft – took off in 2007 and was hailed as the future of air travel.

The wings for the A380 “Superjumbo” were made in a purpose-built factory at Airbus Broughton.

Unlike wings made at Broughton for the A320, A330 and A350’s, the A380 wings were too big to fit inside a Beluga transport plane.

Instead they were taken from the Broughton factory to the purpose-built jetty on the River Dee.

There they transferred to a barge to travel downriver to Mostyn dock, where Airbus’ own ship awaited

The wings were loaded aboard a custom-designed roll-on roll-off ship at Mostyn and transported to Bordeaux in France.

Production of A380 wings began in 2007, following the opening in 2003 of a large new factory building.

The last A380 wing left the Broughton factory on 7 February 2020.

To find our more about the auction and to view catalogues click here.