Aviation buffs queued up in their thousands to say bye bye to bankrupt Air Berlin by snapping up a piece of one of its planes.
The German airline, once the country’s second-biggest carrier, filed for bankruptcy in August last year and ceased operations in October after notching up a whopping GBP 700 million (around AU$1.25 billion) in debt.
To get some of that cash back, German auction house Dechow auctioned the airline’s entire inventory giving flying fanatics a chance to own a piece of aviation history.
Up for grabs were airplane seats, life jackets, kids’ toys, branded chocolates and even a smart car with Air Berlin branding on the doors.
An Air Berlin branded Airbus A320 scale model saw bids top GBP5,333 (around AU$9500) making it one of the most expensive items in the sale.
The auction house said it was “surprised” by the rush, as reported by the Daily Mail. In fact, there were 2,000 bids for items in just the first half hour after the auction opened the sale.
Unfortunately, if you were after a piece of Air Berlin memorabilia, you’ve missed your chance. The auction closed last week.
But you never know what might pop up on eBay over the coming weeks. Keep your eyes peeled!