Iconic Airbus A380 plane bar sells at auction for $50,000

All proceeds from the ex-Emirates inflight bar will go to charity

The bar was set high for this auction (AFP via Getty Images)

The inflight bar from an iconic Airbus A380 sold at auction last week, for a whopping $50,000 (£43,862).

It was just one part of a total 500 from an Emirates A380 aircraft, which were auctioned off in Toulouse, France between Thursday 13 and Saturday 15 October, NZ Herald reports.

Though the event was held in Toulouse, the parts were bid on globally by aviation enthusiasts participating online.

All proceeds from the sale of the A380’s features - including technical parts of the cockpit, seats and life jackets - are being given to charity. The bar had initially been predicted to sell for closer to $30,000.

In a preview of the auction, aviation blog The Points Guy wrote that the plane bar was “quite an item to have on display and talk about while entertaining guests, especially if they are AvGeeks”.

The cockpit’s throttle and joysticks, which were used to control the “Queen of the Skies”, were also sold, as were drinks trolleys from the plane’s cabin.

Life jackets from the plane were sold for close to $350 (£307), while table lamps, plane seats and an emergency evacuation axe were also snapped up by members of the public. Other lucky bidders procured rows of three economy seats, engine fan blades and the crew’s cockpit microphone.

The money generated will go to the Airbus Foundation, which has humanitarian, youth and sustainability projects around the world.

The aircraft stripped for the auction was one of 88 “super jumbos” that belonged to the airline Emirates.

Its first maiden flight was 27 April 2005, and its first long-haul flight was from Dubai to Auckland in 2010. The aircraft was officially retired from duty at the start of the pandemic following 12 years of service.

The aircraft company said in a statement: "The proceeds from this auction will help the Airbus Foundation continue to facilitate charitable initiatives worldwide leveraging an international network of employees, associations and other organisations, supporting general interest projects.”

The vessel weighed 560 tonnes and held almost double the passengers as the Boeing 777, due to its two levels.

The Airbus took its first flight in 2005 (Getty Images)

The auction was held at Marc Labarbe International auction house, which referred to the aircraft as an “aeronautical icon and first new aircraft of the 21st century.”

Shopping at auction for cult travel memorabilia is nothing new: in 2018, Heathrow Airport auctioned off the contents of Terminal 1, with baggage carousels, seating and check-in desks all going under the hammer.

Meanwhile, earlier this year a former British Airways jumbo jet bought for £1 was transformed into a “party plane” in the Cotswolds.