The plane – a Boeing B727-200 owned by Cambodia's Royal Khmer Airlines with the registration number XU-RKJ – has been abandoned at Nội Bài International Airport since 2007. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has just submitted a plan to the Ministry of Construction outlining what to do with a Cambodian plane that was left abandoned at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội for 18 years.

With support from the Việt Nam Aviation Academy, the CAAV has proposed developing a plan to use the abandoned aircraft as a teaching tool, so the Academy can use it for practice in specialised aviation training facilities.

The plane – a Boeing B727-200 owned by Cambodia's Royal Khmer Airlines with the registration number XU-RKJ – has sit unused since 2007.

In November 2014, Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation stated that the Air Operator Certificate for Royal Khmer Airlines had been revoked and the aircraft had been deregistered from Cambodia since October 13, 2008. Cambodia agreed to allow Việt Nam to handle the aircraft in accordance with Vietnamese law.

In December 2014, the CAAV issued an official notice confirming that the aircraft had been abandoned and would be dealt with according to Vietnamese law.

The Ministry of Finance had also decided that ownership of the aircraft would be transferred to the State as public property, although no specific agency had yet been assigned to manage the asset.

The CAAV had previously proposed auctioning the aircraft as scrap metal to promptly remove it from Nội Bài International Airport to ease operational obstacles.

However, as the aircraft was a Boeing 727-200, which was no longer in operation in Việt Nam and lacked legal and technical documents, its valuation faced difficulties.

Due to the aircraft’s deteriorated condition and the lack of similar transactions in Việt Nam or globally, determining a starting price for auction was deemed unfeasible.

Therefore, the CAAV floated the idea of repurposing the aircraft as a training aid. The Việt Nam Aviation Academy expressed interest in receiving the aircraft as a model for hands-on student training.

The academy proposed disassembling and transporting it to its campus in Cam Ranh City (Khánh Hoà Province), estimating the total cost at VNĐ8.7–9.7 billion (US$343,000–380,000).

In contrast, purchasing a similar foreign training model would cost up to VNĐ500 billion ($20 million).

The aircraft still has its structural frame, seating, cockpit, control panels and engine components, making it highly valuable for educational purposes, especially in teaching aircraft maintenance techniques. The academy has committed to covering all associated costs from tuition and sponsorships, without using State budget funds. — VNS