The Airbus A310 Kurt Schumacher, with registration 10 + 23 and after 32 years of service, was decommissioned today by the German Air Force, and will be converted into a restaurant to be installed in a zoo on the outskirts of Hannover.
Prior to joining the Air Force, the aircraft had operated for the RDA Interflug airline since October 1989, first under the registration GDR-ABC, then under the registration D-AOAC since October 1990. In September 1991, the German Armed Forces took over the aircraft, where it performed troop transport, cargo and medical evacuation missions.
The machine had space for up to 214 passengers, reached a cruising speed of about 860 kilometers per hour and had a maximum possible range of about 11,000 kilometers.
The end of a long military career
The last operational mission of the 10 + 23 was during the airlift operation in Kabul, which the Luftwaffe carried out to evacuate about 5,000 people, including German and Afghan allied nationals and their families from Afghanistan. The A310 was used to fly Afghan refugees from Tashkent airport (Uzbekistan) to Germany.
Der Lebenszyklus gilt auch für Flugzeuge. Der #A310 "Kurt Schuhmacher" sagt tschüss. Wir wissen nicht, ob ihm das gefällt, aber im Serengeti-Park Hodenhagen soll er in ein Restaurant umgewandelt werden. Vor kurzem flog die 10/23 noch Flüchtlinge aus Tashkent nach 🇩🇪. pic.twitter.com/a8Mc5Uwto2
— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) September 3, 2021
The last flight of this aircraft was from Cologne airport to Hannover airport, where it was fired with water arcs. It will not take off again.
Conversion into a place of leisure
Aerotelegraph reports that the aircraft’s final destination is the Serengeti-Park Hodenhagen, located 50 kilometers from Hannover airport. This route is to be made by road, at 5km/h, for which the aircraft is to be «dismembered» into several parts. The wings, tail and landing gear are separated from the fuselage beforehand.
Upon arrival at the zoo, the Airbus A310 will receive a new paint job with animal motifs and an outdoor terrace. The galley is to be built in what used to be the cargo hold.
