Last British Airways jumbo jet's deck to become tourist attraction
- Published
Mr Hanna has used his own funds and some crowdfunding to bring the plane part from the Cotswolds to Salford
Part of the last British Airways jumbo jet will become a tourist attraction after its new owner said he "didn't want to see it crushed into cans".
The top deck of the Boeing 747 has been moved from the Cotswolds to take up residence at Salford's City Airport.
It has been saved from the scrap-heap and brought to the city by self-confessed "aviation geek" Drew Hanna.
He said he had saved it "for people to enjoy" because they were "sad when the 747s were being scrapped".
Mr Hanna said he could not resist the chance to buy part of a 747 when the opportunity arose
Its journey saw it take to the M5, M6, M56 and M60 before it arrived at its final destination
British Airways retired all 31 of its jumbo jets in 2020.
Mr Hanna, who transforms old airplane parts into airline memorabilia, first got the idea of buying part of one of the planes during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Having worked in aviation all his life, the 34-year-old from Salford said he wanted to turn his "passion for all things aviation" into a business.
After developing an online shop selling upcycled aircraft items, he said he could not resist the chance to buy part of a 747 when the opportunity arose.
"We already worked with scrappers," he said.
"This was the last 747 and I didn't want to see it crushed into cans."
The top deck still has all its fixtures and fittings from when it was in service
He used his own money and some sourced from crowdfunding to pay for it to be moved from Kemble in the Cotswolds to Salford.
Its journey saw it take to the M5, M6, M56 and M60 before it arrived at its final destination.
It will now have a new life at City Airport Barton in Greater Manchester as The Deck 747, a tourist attraction which will act both as an educational resource and a flight simulator.
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- Published17 July 2020
