davidm
August 15, 2016, 10:30pm
1
This story is… strange:
12/08/2015
Several aviation databases list the Boeings – identified by their call signs TF-ARN, TF-ARH, TF-ARM – as belonging to leasing firm Air Atlanta Icelandic, but that company says it sold them in 2008.
Since then, the aircraft appear to have changed hands several times.
Malaysia Airports says it’s entitled to sell the Boeings under the country’s civil aviation regulations if no owner comes forward.
“The giving of such notice by way of advertisement is a common and reasonable step in the process of debt recovery especially in cases where the company concerned has ceased operations and is a foreign entity whereby exhaustive steps undertaken to find a contact person have not been successful,” Malaysia Airports said in a statement.
12/11/2015
“'Missing’ owner of three Boeing 747s comes forward”
“MAHB for some unfathomable reason, refuses to acknowledge Swift as the owners of the aircraft, even though we have all of the supporting documents, including the Bill of Sale for the three aircraft,” he claimed.
08/03/2016
Three Boeing 747-200F planes belonging to the former governor of Kogi State, Capt Idris Wada have been sitting at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for more than a year. Now they could be auctioned off if their owner doesn’t claim them, according to the Malaysian Airport Authority.
That’s according to ads the airport placed in The Star, one of the country’s largest English daily newspapers, and The Sin Chew Daily on Monday.
“If you fail to collect the aircraft within 14 days of the date of this notice, we reserve the right to sell or otherwise dispose of the aircraft pursuant to the Civil Aviation Regulations 1996 and use the money raised to set off any expenses and debt due to us under the said regulations,” the ad said. (The year 1996 is a mistake, the act was established in 1969).
An airport official told Bloomberg that they know who owns the three 747-200F planes, but that the entity is not cooperating to move the planes.
What all happened between December and now, and how “Swift Air Cargo” aka “Splunk n’ Dash Sdn Bhd” is involved I can’t say.
For some reason, I was under the impression that better track was kept of things like 747s.
It is rare for a 747 to not be properly accounted for let alone three but airliners (and, more frequently, smaller jets) really do get stolen fairly frequently. Here is a case of a 727 that disappeared in front of lots of witnesses and still hasn’t been found.
Jet airliners aren’t even the largest machines that can become ‘lost’ intentionally or otherwise. Criminals steal full sized ships so often that there is a firm based out of New Orleans that specializes in locating them and stealing them right back . That has to be one of the most baddass jobs in the world.
However, it sounds like the 747’s are neither truly lost or stolen in this case. The likely owner is trying to claim them but Malaysia really wants the money if they can sell them. I have no idea why anyone would leave three 747’s grounded for a year. They are hellaciously expensive to maintain even if they are just sitting there. My best guess is that the owner is broke and cannot afford them at all whether they are flying or not. They probably should have been sold a year ago if that is the case because owning three non-flying 747’s is a tremendous waste of money that would bankrupt almost anyone.
davidm
August 16, 2016, 12:06am
3
The company name “Splunk n’ Dash” sounds like a joke name. Switch the leading consonants and you get “Dunk n’ Splash”, a name I would hesitate to give to an intercontinental airline.
Weirdly, a web search for “Splunk n’ Dash Sdn Bhd” returns a link to a business directory which indicates that it is a laundry and dry cleaning business in Kuala Lumpur.
davidm
August 16, 2016, 12:35am
4
Did you catch that the main guy is called Captain Max Hardberger? Sounds like the sort of name a trashy novelist would give to his tough hero.
davidm
August 16, 2016, 1:33am
6
I’m wondering if there isn’t something very shady going on here, but it’s hard to see how someone could profit from buying 747s under a fake name and then abandoning them.
kopek
August 16, 2016, 1:43am
7
I’m not – I’m just surprised that Amazon didn’t lose them. Lord knows our logistics has some really off days.
davidm
August 16, 2016, 1:47am
8
But the things can be used as weapons of mass destruction, as we unfortunately know all too well.
I think it’s more likely that they were purchased by a half-baked entrepreneur who had some idea for their use, but the idea or the necessary money didn’t work out, so can’t afford to do anything with them, but isn’t ready to let them go. The fun and games with ownership might well be because the owner doesn’t want to lose the planes but doesn’t want to be responsible for all the parking costs they have racked up. These situations are pretty common in the maritime world with ships, which is my area. It has all the hallmarks of being a similar situation.
I think it’s probably this. These are not planes you buy because you have a lot of options.
Princhester:
I think it’s more likely that they were purchased by a half-baked entrepreneur who had some idea for their use, but the idea or the necessary money didn’t work out, so can’t afford to do anything with them, but isn’t ready to let them go. The fun and games with ownership might well be because the owner doesn’t want to lose the planes but doesn’t want to be responsible for all the parking costs they have racked up. These situations are pretty common in the maritime world with ships, which is my area. It has all the hallmarks of being a similar situation.
That would be my guess. Possibly they are not worth much more than for scrap metal without a lot of money being spent on them.
What the heck is up with Malaysia and misplaced airplanes?
Imagine the size of the Denver Boot attached to those planes.
I quite often arrest ships. You think you’ve seen big handcuffs? You have no idea.
Anyone care to pool their resources with me to submit a bid?
I got ten bucks AMERICAN burning a hole in my pocket.
davidm
August 18, 2016, 9:16pm
16
Can you afford to park and maintain them? That’ll cost at least $10 more.
davidm:
I’m wondering if there isn’t something very shady going on here, but it’s hard to see how someone could profit from buying 747s under a fake name and then abandoning them.
Shady ?? Malaysia ??
I’m sorry to say it: 50 years ago, Malaysia was only slightly primitive, and slightly foreign. Now it’s shady.
