Lufthansa Airbus recycled into coffee tables

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 18:00, Sep 21, 2019 | Updated : 18:09, Sep 21, 2019

Lufthansa upcycles scrap airplane parts to create home and accessories collectionThe afterlife of a decommissioned aeroplane can take many forms nowadays. Some are dismantled and used as parts, others simply end up in aircraft graveyards, while a select few are reinvented as modern restaurants or hotels.

However, Lufthansa has gone for a rather different approach with a retired Airbus A340-600. The German airline is giving the aircraft, identified by the registration code D-AIHO - a fresh start as a brand new product collection, reports CNN.

Created as part of a collaboration between Lufthansa, traveller loyalty program Miles & More GmbH and Lufthansa Technik, the Lufthansa Upcycling Collection is made from parts of the plane, which was withdrawn after 10 years of service.

The plane's slats and side panels have been transformed into coffee tables, while a separate table has been made from two of its windows and a sheet of safety glass.

Four of its other windows were converted into two trendy wall bars, and a further 20 have been made into wall clocks.

Many are one-off items and this is clearly reflected in the prices.

The tables range from $1,550 to $3,300, while the wall bars cost between $1,327 and $1,660.

A keyring made from the plane's aluminium cladding will set you back $27.

"The special thing about the Lufthansa Upcycling Collection is that something of the aircraft's spirit can be preserved," says Sebastian Riedle, spokesperson and managing director of Miles & More GmbH.

"There are so many possibilities to give discarded materials a second life in a different way."

Airbus's four-engine A340-600 ultra-long-haul aircraft, the world's second-longest passenger aeroplane, was first introduced nearly 20 years ago, but manufacturing on the A340 series ceased in 2011 to make way for the more fuel-efficient A350. Lufthansa was one of the A340's biggest operators.

The airline's design team have also made good use of the aircraft's exterior, creating briefcases and backpacks from business class blankets and headrest covers branded with its now-defunct logo, which were "much too valuable to throw away."

Even the plane's safety cards have been recycled and used to reinforce the bottom of upcycled wash bags.

It took nearly 10 weeks to dismantle the 75-meter long aeroplane into pieces small enough to create the Lufthansa Upcycling Collection.

Approximately 92% of the original aircraft, which was the world's longest passenger aircraft at the time of its launch, was recycled for the project.

Repurposing aircraft parts as quality goods are getting increasingly popular as the airline industry moves towards becoming more eco-friendly.

Airbus released a line of furniture and home accessories made from upcycled aircraft parts via online shop A Piece of Sky earlier this year.

In 2018, luxury watch company Bremont, which makes timepieces for pilots, marked the 50th anniversary of Concorde by launching a limited-edition timepiece, the Bremont Supersonic, which incorporated parts of the decommissioned aircraft.

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