MADRID – Spain acknowledges that 95 aircraft are neglected at various airports of the Aena network. These abandoned planes have created a debt of almost seven million euros in airport charges.
Some of these abandoned planes have been standing still for more than a decade and are taking up public space. Due to private ownership, they cannot be transferred to a foundation, school, or aviation museum. The government also said there are currently no formal requests from this kind of organizations to acquire these aircraft.
The case of Saicus Air
A striking case is described in El Economista and concerns an aircraft from the bankrupt Spanish airline Saicus Air. This aircraft is parked at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. It concerns a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (Boeing) and it is currently seized. The aircraft is being prepared for auction by the Spanish tax authorities.
Auction procedure
When an aircraft is not undergoing legal proceedings (such as seizure or bankruptcy), the government first tries to find the owner to remove the aircraft. If this is not successful, the process for a statutory declaration of abandonment will begin. After the publication of three edicts in the Official Gazette and the Official Journal of the European Union and a year without a claim from the owner, the aircraft is considered abandoned. Only then will the sale at public auction begin.
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