Retired due to breakdowns: Former government jet “Konrad Adenauer” is being cannibalized

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Government jet “Konrad Adenauer” at Cologne-Bonn airport

Photo: Ralf Hirschberger / DPA

The A340-300 government aircraft, which was decommissioned due to a series of breakdowns and flew for years as the "Konrad Adenauer", is sold to Lufthansa Technik.

According to SPIEGEL information, the Lufthansa subsidiary was awarded the contract for the purchase this week.

The federal recycling company VEBEG had previously carried out a bidding process.

According to SPIEGEL information, Lufthansa Technik is paying a mid-single-digit million amount for the former flagship of the airline.

Engines are considered to be of high quality

A spokesman confirmed to SPIEGEL that Lufthansa Technik will purchase the jet.

The company wants to dismantle the jet and sell individual parts.

The engines in particular are still considered to be of high quality despite the aircraft having been in operation for a good 20 years.

But many other parts can also be sold, Lufthansa Technik said.

After the purchase, the jet will probably be taken directly to Spain, where the Lufthansa subsidiary has an offshoot.

The jet, with which Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz made numerous business trips, was decommissioned in autumn 2023 after several mishaps during government trips.

After Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took off twice from Abu Dhabi on her way to Australia in August, but had to return to the airport due to technical problems with the wing flaps, the plane was nicknamed "Baerbock's Breakdown Jet."

Formally, he flew with the military identification “16+01”.

Luxurious amenities

For the government flights, the jet was equipped with a luxurious VIP cabin.

At the front there is 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 became known as “Merkel’s living room”.

At the very back there is the business class for the delegation, followed by a few rows of economy seats for accompanying journalists and the crew.

Shortly before Lufthansa Technik was awarded the contract for the purchase, the Berlin real estate entrepreneur Alexander Skora contacted VEBEG and submitted a late bid for the broken-down jet.

Skora told SPIEGEL that he had planned to exhibit the aircraft as a kind of museum in Berlin.

“Merkel's living room” in particular has historical value and must be preserved for posterity.

However, since Skora submitted his bid well after the deadline, he was not considered.