November 16, 2017•Update: November 16, 2017
ANTALYA, Turkey
A decommissioned Boeing 737-400 Classic aircraft will be turned into a massive library for high school students in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.
The disassembled plane was carried in enormous three pieces on articulated trucks to Aircraft Maintenance Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Aksu district of the province.
Speaking to reporters, the school headmaster Haldun Cevik said the plane abandoned for years aimed to be auctioned off for 1.5 million Turkish liras (roughly $387,000) but could not find a buyer.
With the help of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu -- also an Antalya lawmaker -- the aircraft donated to the school by a philanthropist who asked to be unnamed, according to the headmaster Cevik.
The passenger plane, formerly operated by Sky Airlines, retired after a substantial damage in a landing accident caused by a burst at Antalya Airport (AYT) in 2011.
There were 156 people and six crew on board, but no casualties reported. The planed was auctioned in 2013 after the airline filed for bankruptcy and ceased all flight operations.
According to Cevik, the transportation of the aircraft hauled across the city, took three hours, even the wings demolished the wall and iron gate at the airport, while street closed to traffic in its final journey.
"It will be the first time in the world that a passenger plane serves as a library in a school's garden. Initially, this one is going to be scrap, now it will contribute to the education of our children," Cevik said.
The plane will not just be a library. It will be also both a museum and a movie theatre, featuring a video telling the story of the aircraft.
The library-on-a-plane, that also excites students' attention, will start to serve in two months, the headmaster added.
Reporting by Sinan by Burcu Arik
