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A group of New Zealanders are desperately fighting to save an Air New Zealand jumbo jet from the junk pile, only a few days before its destiny.
Aviation enthusiasts are racing to raise 2.5 million New Zealand dollars ($2.3 million) to bring the Boeing 747 home to the 2.5 million New Zealand dollars ($2.3 million) needed-Air New Zealand’s last iconic fleet-currently Awaiting scrapping in a storage facility in Roswell, USA.
The group behind “Bring Our Birds Home” Event Want to buy a 747 and fly it to New Zealand, where it will be kept in Wanaka’s National Transport and Toy Museum as part of aviation history.
The group has 18 days to reach an agreement with the current owner of the aircraft before scrapping it.
“This is an opportunity for us to reclaim this cultural relic for future generations. It is a symbol of our society and transportation history,” Bring Our Birds Home spokesperson Paul Brennan told the media Otago Daily.
“We have a chance, but it is difficult.”
Air New Zealand Boeing 747 before the retiring of the fleet. Photo: New Zealand Herald/Paul Estcourt
The powerful 747 jumbo jet — known as the Queen of the Sky — was once the cornerstone of Air New Zealand’s international fleet.
However, most major airlines, including Air New Zealand, Qantas and British Airways, have eliminated this iconic aircraft in favor of long-range wide-body twin-engine aircraft such as Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.
The specific 747 jet that the group hopes to save joined the Air New Zealand fleet as a brand new aircraft for the first time in 1998 and was the last 747 that the airline retired in 2014.
Later, it was sold to Spanish charter company Wamos Air, which leased it to other airlines, including Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Arabian Airlines, before being sent to Roswell for storage.
It is believed that approximately 2 million New Zealanders have flown on this 747 jet, which was once painted with Lord of the Rings Scenes.
The famous 747 once had the Lord of the Rings uniform.Picture: Take our bird home
Take our bird home and say this is the last time on earth.
“In the 15 years she has served us, this (aircraft) alone has carried more than 2 million New Zealanders-many New Zealanders have taken the first step towards the world through their classic New Zealand OE (Overseas Experience). Airplane through this door,” the organization said.
“Then the crew, the engineer, the flight planner, the ground crew, whether at home or anywhere in the world.
“(The plane) spends most of his time on the earth with hundreds of passengers at close to the speed of sound, warm, safe and comfortable. Everyone has a story to tell, and she does this day after day. Do. Day after day. This airplane is a truly iconic national architectural relic of our society and transportation history.”
A crowdfunding campaign is being assembled to raise the millions of dollars needed to purchase aircraft and ship them back to New Zealand.
Mr. Brennan said that if the transaction fails, any funds raised so far will be refunded.
If the plan is implemented, the group will return the four engines of the aircraft to the United States.
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