Malaysia Airlines is putting all six of its Airbus A380 aircraft up for sale. The airline is inviting interesting parties to make an offer for the planes. Interestingly, as opposed to going through the usual channels to sell a plane, Malaysia Airlines is advertising the sale on its LinkedIn page.
Across the world, many Airbus A380 operators from Air France to Etihad are looking to phase out their giants. In May, Malaysia Airlines revealed that its fleet of six Airbus A380s would follow a similar course. However, it now seems that the airline has pulled the trigger on the decision.
Malaysia Airlines today revealed that it would be placing its six Airbus A380 aircraft up for sale. The airline took a slightly unconventional approach, telling that it had opened the tender process via its LinkedIn channel for any scrolling the work-related social network to find.
Those who are interested in an Airbus A380 have until noon Malaysia time (04:00 UTC) to register their interest by emailing the airline with their proposals. Given that nobody seems keen to take an Airbus A380 right now, it remains to be seen whether the airline will receive any serious offers.
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Malaysia Airlines has six Airbus A380 aircraft, giving it one of the smaller fleets of the type. According to data from ch-aviation.com, combined, the fleet has 2,924 seats, with an average age of 9.2 years.
All six aircraft were delivered in the space of a year, meaning that they don’t differ too much in age. The oldest aircraft was delivered to Malaysia Airlines on May 29th, 2012. The aircraft, 9M-MNA, is 9.74 years old, having completed 28,386 flight hours across 2,618 flight cycles.
In comparison, the youngest plane, 9M-MNF, is just 8.72 years old, having been delivered to the airline on March 28th, 2013. This plane is the airline’s least used double-decker jet with 23,819 flight hours across 2,277 flight cycles. Interestingly, this aircraft was the 100th Airbus A380 that the European manufacture made. All of the aircraft are currently in storage in Kuala Lumpur.
According to valuations made by Collateral Verifications LLC for ch-aviation.com, the four oldest aircraft each have a current market value of $44.89 million, while the remaining two are worth $46.89 million. This would give the entire fleet a current market value of $273.34 million.
Of course, it seems as though the airline would be lucky to make this much money from the sale. If the airline is even able to sell all six, it will likely be for a far smaller price. This could perhaps even stretch to the value of the scrap material present in the jets.
What do you think about Malaysia Airlines’ Airbus A380 flash sale? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!
Content Manager – Degree educated in Aerospace Technology, this certified pilot is a passionate specialist in European aviation. Working closely with British Airways, Lufthansa and others, Tom provides commentary on topical issues for outlets including the BBC. Based in Frankfurt, Germany.