Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane is for sale at a price of 12 million euros

The American aircraft trading company "Jetcraft" has offered the former German government plane "Theodor Heuss" for sale, which was previously used by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The aircraft is listed for sale at a price of 12 million euros and still retains features of a government plane, as a black, red, and gold stripe—the colors of the German flag—runs along its fuselage; however, the words "Federal Republic of Germany" have been removed, and upon purchase, the aircraft will be completely repainted white.

The company owning the plane stated that the offered price is not final and is open to negotiation, and it can be leased from the previous owner, the American asset management company CSDS, according to the Euronews news site.

The owning company has another offer, as the aircraft can be leased instead of purchased for $200,000 per month under a dry lease contract, meaning it does not include the flight crew, with crew costs added per flight, in addition to paying $75,000 per month for maintenance reserves.

In September 2023, the German government sold the "Theodor Heuss" plane, returning its ownership to the American company CSDS, which offered it for sale in 2024 for 8 million euros in its previous condition; however, it was required at that time to undergo a periodic 12-year inspection.

The second option was selling the plane for $12 million after its inspection and repainting, and CSDS stated that the true value of the aircraft is $20 million.

Presidential aircraft with high specifications

The "Theodor Heuss" is an Airbus A340-300 built in 2000, having logged 50,710 flight hours and 8,768 landings, according to the Euronews news site.

The aircraft accommodates 145 passengers: 24 in business class, 94 in economy class, and features an executive suite in the forward section of the plane. The "executive suite" features a striking design, including seven seats, a meeting room for twelve people, a "communications center," and a lounge for eight people.

The plane is not only luxurious in terms of specifications, but aesthetically as well, equipped with luxurious wood paneling—including a panel engraved with the Berlin skyline—and luxurious white leather seats, some of which are convertible into beds, in addition to a full bathroom equipped with a shower, large screens, a communications center, and a lounge for eight people, according to the German newspaper "Die Welt."

The aircraft was designed to provide the highest levels of comfort during long nonstop flights, with a range of over 13,000 kilometers, and its conversion into a VIP aircraft was completed in 2011.

The Airbus A340-300 had long been among the flagship aircraft in the VIP air transport wing of the German Air Force for many years, and Chancellor Angela Merkel used the "Theodor Heuss" on her foreign trips, in addition to ministers, visiting dignitaries, and the German President.

Previous technical problems damaged the reputation of the A340 fleet

Over past years, the A340 fleet became increasingly associated with technical problems, and news of frequent breakdowns of the German Air Force's VIP transport aircraft repeatedly made headlines, negatively affecting their reputation, according to the German newspaper "Die Welt."

As an alternative, the German Armed Forces purchased three new Airbus A350 aircraft, and the A340 aircraft were decommissioned.

Edited by: Aref Jabo