The aircraft used by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been taken out of service and sold to Lufthansa Technik for dismantling into spare parts. This was reported by Spiegel on Friday, stating that the government plane, an Airbus A340-300 that had flown for years under the name "Konrad Adenauer," was decommissioned due to a series of malfunctions and sold to Lufthansa Technik, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, through a bidding process conducted by the federal company Vebeg. According to Spiegel, Lufthansa Technik will pay an average of one million dollars for the plane.
A company spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that they plan to dismantle the aircraft and sell it for parts, noting that the engines are, in particular, still in good condition despite the plane being in service for 20 years. The company stated, “Several parts can also be sold, and after the purchase, the plane will likely be transported directly to Lufthansa Technik's branch in Spain."
The aircraft, which had been used by former Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz for several official trips, was taken out of service in the fall of 2023 after several unfortunate incidents during government flights. After Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock flew twice from Abu Dhabi to Australia in August, she had to return to the airport due to technical issues with the wing panels, leading to the plane being nicknamed "Baerbock's broken plane."
For government trips, the aircraft is equipped with a luxury cabin for VIPs, which includes a "private office" that can be converted into a spacious bedroom, and there is a shower in the bathroom. Directly behind it are two conference rooms, one of which has become known as "Merkel's living room." In the rear, there is business class seating for the delegation, followed by several rows of economy seats for accompanying journalists and crew members.
