2008-2018: Lockheed Starliner Constellation restoration cost Lufthansa 150 million euros/ 160 million US dollar/130 million GBP……………..

Geez how many Spits/109,s/Lancasters/Hurricanes/Fw190,s/Mosquitos/Whirlwinds/Halifaxes/Stukas/Typhoons/Tempests/Me262,s/Hamptons,Stirlings/Wellingtons could that amount of money get back in the air?

This project had nothing to do with a restoration, it was an attempt to fly/run an aging passenger airplane with normal paying passengers under current certification rules.

The general consensus in various places is that this project was a very comfy job that was dragged on as long as possible, end result was lots of money for relatively little progress. How Lufthansa kept paying into this project over so many years and not realising what was going on is hard to understand.

End results:

An airline that was backing historic aircraft in a major way has completely backed out of flying any of their aircraft.

The Starliner itself was cut up for transport after the project was abandoned and will certainly never fly again.

Lots of really good spare parts were gathered together for the project, many of which were simply binned when the project was abandoned.

Just imagine what that kind of money could have accomplished in the right hands, it’s sickening…

Must have been somebody high up pet project that was allowed to run beyond control. Were they not going to heavily mod the aircraft including a glass cockpit? maybe if they had just rebuilt it to original spec they would have been more sucessful?

My thoughts exactly. Even in the business of aircraft restoration – which is expensive at the best of times, that sounds a ludicrous amount of money to get to IMO.

How did the costs get to that level? especially if they bought three to choose from.