Boeing 747 abandoned at Valencia Airport for 18 years could finally be on its way out

The huge cargo aircraft was owned by a businessman from Yecla, Murcia, and has been sitting at Manises since 2008

For 18 years, a huge Boeing 747 has been sitting at Valencia Airport, and now there could finally be an end in sight for the abandoned Jumbo.

Aena is continuing the administrative process to remove the old cargo plane from Manises, where it has been held since 2008 because of unpaid debts linked to its owner, the airline Pronair.

The Boeing 747-245F was brought to Spain by Yecla businessman Isidoro Romero, who founded Pronair during the boom years before the property crash. The airline had ambitious plans to transport goods internationally, including cargo between Spain and China.

But the business venture was short-lived, and the Jumbo never made the international impact that had been hoped for.

Aena has confirmed that the aircraft is still at Valencia Airport and that the necessary steps are being taken towards a public auction. However, there isn't a sale date or starting price yet. Those details will only be known once the current administrative process has been completed.

The aircraft was officially identified again in 2024 when the Spanish Government published three notices in the Official State Gazette as part of a legal procedure to declare it abandoned.

Under the procedure, Aena first tried to contact the owner and have the aircraft removed after its outstanding debts were settled. When that failed, the legal process continued. After a year without anyone successfully claiming the aircraft, it can be legally presumed abandoned, opening the way for a possible auction.

There is also another option in certain circumstances. If the aircraft cannot be preserved, its materials can potentially be offered to educational, cultural or non-profit organisations with a connection to aviation, subject to a report from Civil Aviation.

This isn't the first attempt to deal with the long-standing problem. The Jumbo was included in an earlier procedure in 2019 involving abandoned aircraft at Valencia Airport. Then, in 2021, a private claimant came forward and the Boeing was removed from a planned auction of 23 other aircraft.

The plane was reportedly sold through court proceedings for €2.1 million in 2013, although that figure doesn't tell us what Pronair originally paid for it or what the aircraft might be worth today.

After 18 years exposed to the elements on the airport grounds, its future may ultimately be less glamorous than its past. Whether it flies again, finds a new use or ends up being sold for scrap will depend on how the current process unfolds.

Image:C/C-Florian Weiss