The Romanian who bought a passenger plane is turning it into a restaurant. The moment it was brought on a special trailer

A passenger plane, 40 years old and out of use, was installed in the Şiria commune of Arad and became an attraction. The “Fokker 100” aircraft was transported with a special trailer to the Charlie Bravo Airport in Syria and will become a restaurant, reports Agerpres. In February, another Romanian bought a 200-seat plane for 36,000 euros to turn it into a holiday home.

By the Observator editorial team on 29.04.2024, 14:36

A four-decade-old passenger plane was brought to the Şiria airfield and is visible from the road to the Şiria Citadel, so it has become an attraction for tourists and locals in recent days, with the owners stating that they will set up an aviation museum in the next few days months.

Costin Gavrilescu paid 36,000 euros for a McDonnell Douglas plane that will be transformed into a holiday home.

The fuselage of the plane, without wings, brought on a special trailer

The “Fokker 100” aircraft was the subject of an oversized transport a few days ago, the wingless body of the plane being brought on a special trailer to the town of Şiria, located approximately 20 kilometers from the city of Arad. On Sunday evening, the wings also arrived, and they are being reassembled on the body of the aircraft.

The plane will be turned into a restaurant by the owners of the airfield

The mayor of Şiria commune, Velentin Bot, said on Monday, for Agerpres, that the aircraft was purchased by the owners of the airfield, who want to turn it into a restaurant, as part of a larger project to set up an aviation museum.

“Of course, as soon as this plane arrived here, being of considerable size, it became a curiosity and an attraction for tourists who come to Şiria Citadel. It is a project that makes us very happy, because the museum and the restaurant will complete the tourist offer of the commune ours, where the fortress is the main attraction, especially on weekends, when a thousand visitors come,” said the mayor.

The commander of the airfield, Dan Cojocaru, who is also a co-owner of the base, said that he bought the aircraft from Romania, having been out of use for several years. “It was a difficult transport to Syria, because this aircraft is 37 meters long. It was necessary to dismantle the wings, but we are already reassembling them. Our intention is that in three months at the most this plane will be completely remodeled as a restaurant, with 80 seats inside and 220 seats on the ground floor, which will be under the plane. Later, we will open a museum, because we currently have an IAR 93 and a MIG 21 on display in Şiria We intend to bring two more aircraft, a MIG 15 and a MIG 17, both from our country, decommissioned”, said Dan Cojocaru for Agerpres.

The pilot from Arada, Vlad Zgărdău, declared that the “Fokker 100” was the first commercial aircraft he flew. “I flew this plane for three and a half years and I can tell you that in its time it was a top-flight aircraft, in terms of technology, instrumentation and performance. It is powered by two engines, has a maximum take-off weight of 45 tons, a capacity of 105 seats and a length of 37 meters. It is exciting for me to see this plane here near Arad, and as far as I know, there is only one restaurant plane in Romania, but much more small,” said the pilot.

The scrapped aircraft was produced in 1981 in the Netherlands and was used by an operator in Romania, but has been out of service for several years.