You can soon buy a plane at one of four airports in Kenya at an extremely low price point.
The Kenya Airports Authority is urging its airports to get rid of abandoned planes that were no longer in use. So, after years of urging, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Nairobi Wilson, Mombasa, and Lokichoggio airports will be auctioning off the planes between Nov. 17 through Nov. 22.
More than 70 airplanes are up for grabs and each aircraft has an interesting story to tell, especially considering the history of each aircraft. Some were damaged in the past and have been renovated, while others were just out of commission for flights. Various planes are being sold for as low as $2,500 for a steel-covered airplane that would normally be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Buyers will need to put down a $900 deposit for each purchase.
You can buy a plane for as low as $73 while others range upwards of $200,000. The winning bidder has 7 days to clear the aircraft from the Kenya airport’s premises, unless they want to pay a $90 per day storage fee.
Some planes were flown in the Somali air force, while others served European military forces. These planes are decades old and are fully operated. If you don’t want to use the planes for takeoff, interested bidders can salvage the plane’s intact metal materials for additional earnings.
All the listed aircraft for sale and their prices in USD are listed here.
Here is what you can do if you buy a plane at the auction.
Outside of flying these jet-powered steel birds in the sky, some buyers can look into alternative ways to take full advantage of their newfound plane. You will have to be creative with where you would store your airplane, and in the past, some airplane owners have chosen to convert their planes into liveable homes.
In Oregon, one homeowner has turned his purchased plane into a mighty sanctuary that can weather any storm.
With over $200,000 spent, the aerodynamic home was created for the owner to shelter in and do more of his life’s work. The plane is even open for public visitation and will give buyers a unique perspective on what they can do if they ever acquire an airplane.
To be considered, $200,000 is lower than the costs of family-size homes in the suburbs of major cities across the US and a Boeing 727-200 proves to make a perfect and safe home.
Some buyers have gone as far as converting their planes into restaurants that welcome patrons and have become popular photo ops.
Are you ready to take the plunge? What would you do if you were able to buy a plane at the auction?
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